Birds of prey protect wine grapes at England’s Rathfinny

Falcons and hawks are patrolling the skies above Rathfinny Wine Estate in Sussex to trial a new way of stopping seagulls and other birds from eating its precious grapes before harvest.

Decanter-Chris Mercer September 17, 2025

Rathfinny Wine Estate has deployed birds of prey via a specialist falconry team to guard its English wine grapes as they ripen in the build-up to the 2025 harvest.

Falcons, hawks and even a ‘Chilean blue eagle’ are patrolling the skies above Rathfinny’s vineyards from dawn until dusk, the Sussex-based winery said.

It’s a trial to see if these trained birds of prey can protect English wine grapes by keeping hungry seagulls, pigeons and crows away from precious fruit – saving more than 300km of plastic netting that would normally cover vines.

Sarah Driver, Rathfinny co-founder and co-owner, said, ‘In the past we have used nets to try and protect our grapes from birds, but as a [certified] B Corp company we’re always trying to reduce our environmental impact.

‘The plastic nets need replacing every three-to-five years and require lots of small plastic clips to keep them in place.’

News of the trial comes amid signs of a particularly promising UK wine harvest in 2025, following a record hot summer. 

Rathfinny expected to begin harvest on 25 September, 10 days earlier than normal, and said a professional falconry team was employing the trained birds of prey to provide several lines of defence for its grapes.

A specialist ‘hybrid’ bird representing a peregrine falcon cross-bred with a Gyrfalcon is speedy, agile and large enough to chase off bigger birds, such as seagulls, said the producer.

Another hybrid falcon – a peregrine crossed with a South American Aplomado – ‘is the perfect size to ward off pigeons’, said Rathfinny, adding the bird has the agility to fly in-between vine rows if required.

The team is also using Merlins, another type of falcon and the UK’s smallest bird of prey, to help chase off smaller birds ‘who might be settling down to eat the fruit’.

Harris’s hawks are patrolling the perimeter of the estate, as is the Chilean blue eagle – also known as a black-chested buzzard eagle – which has a sufficiently intimidating presence to scare off crows and other birds, said the producer.

While grapes may be off the menu, Rathfinny’s Driver said there are alternative meals for hungry birds nearby. ‘Luckily, there’s currently plenty of food available in the hedgerows around the estate for the birds to enjoy.’

Birds of prey have previously been used in vineyards in California to protect grapes, and a 2012 study published in the journal Conservation Biology found that introducing falcons could lead to a significant reduction in grape losses.

AIV believes that Europe’s wine culture is at ‘existential risk’ from the WHO’s Prohibitionist stance

The Drinks business- 18 September 2025 – By Colin Hay

In an unprecedented move, the Académie Internationale du Vin (AIV) is speaking out publicly against the threat of what it calls the “denormalisation” of wine initiated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in an open letter to the heads of government of all United Nations member states.

The AIV, which is based in Lausanne, is an association of around 100 of the world’s most renowned wine personalities from 20 nations and is often referred to as the “Council of the Wise” of the world of wine.

The open letter says to denormalise wine would destroy centuries of heritage, close scientific debate prematurely, and choose prohibition over education and freedom.

The timing is not accidental – as world leaders will be asked to vote on a resolution with potentially far-reaching consequences for the world of wine during the 80^th United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2025.

At first glance, the proposed resolution under the section “Prevention of non-communicable diseases and promotion of mental health” may well seem innocent enough.

But the four lines it contains pose serious concerns for all parties with an interest in wine. Those four lines propose reducing the ‘harmful use of alcohol’ by: (1) banning or comprehensively restricting exposure to alcohol advertising; (2) restricting the physical availability of alcohol; and (3) enacting and enforcing drink-driving laws.

In 2023, the WHO published a study claiming that the consumption of even the smallest amount of wine posed a health risk (talking of “no safe level” of alcohol consumption). Yet, wineries and many academics point to other studies that have concluded that moderate wine consumption for men and women over the age of 40 can in fact be beneficial to health. In addition, numerous scientists, medical experts and independent institutions point out that the “no safe level” study was both flawed in its methodology and selectively cited by the WHO. Yet it has been treated by many media outlets as authoritative.

Serious concerns

Wineries and other groups also argue that the anti-alcohol movement is pushing for still wider measures to “denormalise” wine, such as warnings on back labels referring to life-threatening risks, significant excise tax increases, a complete moratorium on wine advertising, and, most extreme of all, the banning of wine from public spaces. That would mean no wine consumption on visible restaurant terraces, outdoor cafés, or venues open to the street – which the AIV sees as a step towards worldwide prohibition.

The AIV’s message is clear. World leaders should not close the scientific debate too early. They must refrain from voting in favour of such measures until solid, independently verified scientific data is available. Only independent, randomised long-term studies – comparable to those required for pharmaceutical approval – can serve as a legitimate basis for legislation. Education and moderation are always preferable to prohibition.

To make an informed decision, it argues, heads of state and governments may want to review the comprehensive scientific presentation of US physician and winemaker Laura Catena, who has compiled all the key research on wine and health, or read the comprehensive article of journalist Felicity Carter on the influence of the anti-alcohol movement.

Speaking to db this morning, AIV President Guillaume d’Angerville called it ” a rare, indeed unprecedented, step for the AIV to make public its concerns in this way, but it is necessary if this existential threat to our millennia-old wine culture is to be thwarted. It is important for us to recognise the risk here and to act urgently and collectively in response – that is what we are doing. We trust that our message will be heard.”

db also asked Veronique Sanders, Chancelier of the AIV, what had motivated the organisation to break its vow of silence? “We simply want to tell the world, never to forget that wine has considerably contributed to human history, over eight millennia,” she said. “It is a universal language which relates human beings with one another, across borders. First and foremost, it expresses a passion for sharing, which is the foundation of our humanity. We are all custodians of this universal heritage.”

We also asked whether, now that it had decided to go public in this way, there are other issues on which the AIV and its members might also wish to speak?

“The AIV will continue its collective reflection with the aim of contributing to the improvement of viticulture and wine-making practices,” she said. “In the coming months, it will continue to also address itself to the challenges facing the world of wine in a rapidly changing society, particularly among younger generations. The AIV is a formidable forum for discussion amongst wine professionals, but it does not expect to speak publicly on a regular basis. Rather, the AIV will only speak out when the subject warrants it, and it feels that its voice must be heard.”

The AIV’s open letter concludes: “Ladies and gentlemen, heads of states and governments, we call upon you to act in a balanced and nuanced manner: combat excesses but recognise the value of moderation; prevent risks but preserve mankind’s bond with the earth; protect public health but respect the richness of cultures and the strength of traditions. Preserving wine means defending a civilisation, a way of life, a living universal heritage, a part of humanity that has been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years”.

The full text of the open letter can be found here: https://academievin.org/en/

Brown’s bottler of an idea for Prosecco

WineTitles – September 19th, 2025, By Anita McPherson

Milawa’s Brown Family Wine Group (BFWG) is trialling aluminium wine bottles, releasing a limited edition premium brut Prosecco in the more environmentally friendly packaging.

The introduction of resealable aluminium bottles has been over two years in the planning and BFWG says it’s part of its ongoing focus on making delivery of its products more sustainable.

BFWG head of innovation, Emma Brown, said the options for inert packaging for wine – which won’t adversely affect the product – were limited, so aluminium stood out as an attractive alternative.

She said they also considered the changing nature of occasions including outdoor socialising, barbecues and picnics, where the ability to pour a drink and take the remainder home became important.

“We’ve been going through the process of testing and making sure it’s up to quality standards, while also finding a supplier of 750ml aluminium bottles, as there are currently none (in Australia), so we had to look high and low to find a solution,” Brown said.

“As soon as you open a traditional bottle of sparkling wine you have to finish it or else it will go to waste, so not being able to re-seal sparkling wine is a big barrier for the next generation who are leaning away from 750ml bottles for that very reason.”

Brown said the aluminium bottles are currently being sourced from the USA, which has presented some logistical challenges, but they are actively looking at local production for the future.

She said aluminium bottles are infinitely recyclable, able to be returned through every state’s container deposit scheme for a refund, or to be put into a consumer’s regular recycling stream.

The aluminium bottles can also be filled on BFWG’s existing bottling line in Milawa, which Brown said had been a whole new challenge for the team.

“It’s something completely new for us and everyone has jumped on board with enthusiasm, knowing it’s the right thing to do for the future of the category,” she said.

One of the key benefits of aluminium bottles is the reduced weight, estimated to be 40 per cent lighter than traditional glass bottles when filled.

It means wine pallets are 400kg lighter – reducing carbon miles on delivery – while the benefits for the consumer are a lighter bottle to carry to a destination, which can be chilled in 10 minutes and stays colder for longer.

The Strategy Behind Luxury Hospitality with Pesqueira Global

(Sommelierbusness)

Emanuel Pesqueira shares his thoughts on balancing sustainability with indulgence, and how hospitality professionals can create seamless, transformative luxury environments

From fine dining and private clubs to high-end marinas, the modern luxury consumer seeks authenticity, personalization and sensory engagement. This shift demands a more thoughtful approach—one that goes beyond aesthetics and delves into storytelling, service rituals, and flawless execution. Pesqueira Global Luxury Hospitality Consulting & Management stands at the forefront of this transformation, redefining luxury through bespoke hospitality concepts and innovative wine experiences. With a wealth of expertise spanning Michelin-starred establishments and elite venues worldwide, Emanuel Pesqueira shares what makes luxury truly resonate. 

In this conversation, he unpacks the key elements of a premium guest experience and shares actionable strategies for restaurateurs, bar managers, and hospitality professionals looking to craft environments that are both sophisticated and seamless.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

When you step into a new consultancy project, what’s the first thing you assess in a venue’s operations?

We begin with a deep operational audit, examining service flow, guest experience, cost efficiency, and supplier relationships. A well-structured wine program, precise cellar management, and continuous staff training are crucial for optimizing both revenue and guest satisfaction. Our goal is to identify gaps and refine every touchpoint to create a cohesive luxury experience.

What are the top three non-negotiables for businesses looking to elevate their guest experience?

1. Storytelling Through Service: Luxury guests seek authenticity—every element, from the wine list to plating, should narrate a story.
2. Uncompromising Product Selection: Exclusive offerings, whether a rare vintage or single-origin ingredient, elevate perception.
3. Flawless Execution: Precision in service, timing, and attention to detail define an exceptional experience.

Luxury is as much about perception as it is about service. What sensory or psychological elements should businesses focus on?

Luxury engages all senses—aroma, texture, lighting, and sound all subtly influence guest perception. At a private members’ club in London, we introduced scent branding, infusing the lounge with warm notes of oak and aged leather to evoke the intimacy of a historic wine cellar. Custom-designed tableware and curated soundscapes further enhance the sensory journey, creating an environment that feels effortlessly luxurious.

What are modern luxury consumers responding to most?

Today’s guests crave exclusivity, cultural authenticity, and sustainability. They value behind-the-scenes experiences, limited-edition collaborations, and storytelling that highlights provenance. Personalization is paramount—something as simple as remembering a guest’s favorite wine fosters trust and loyalty, setting the experience apart.

Where do businesses go wrong when trying to create a luxurious ambiance?

Many mistake excess for luxury—over-designed spaces, overly complex menus, or rigid service structures can feel overwhelming. True luxury lies in restraint and intentionality. A sophisticated yet effortless atmosphere, where service anticipates rather than reacts, fosters an experience that feels intuitive rather than staged.

If you had to give one piece of advice to hospitality professionals looking to elevate their guest experience, what would it be?

Craft experiences that feel both rare and personal. Luxury isn’t just about what’s on offer—it’s about how it makes guests feel. A well-timed, perfectly executed moment—such as presenting a rare wine at its ideal temperature—can define an entire experience and leave a lasting impression.

Sustainability is becoming a key expectation in luxury. How do you balance eco-consciousness with a premium guest experience?

Sustainability and luxury are no longer mutually exclusive. We integrate eco-consciousness by sourcing from responsible suppliers, minimizing waste through precise inventory management, and educating guests on ingredient provenance. Our work with sustainable wine programs ensures that luxury remains indulgent yet responsible, proving that sophistication and sustainability can go hand in hand.

Sula bets big on wine tourism with new resort; tourism to contribute one-fifth to revenues by FY26 end

Tourism already contributes about ₹100 crore to Sula’s ₹600 crore turnover; it is expected to account for nearly one-fifth of revenues by end of FY26

Rajeev Samant, CEO, Sula Vineyards

Sula is deepening its bet on wine tourism with the launch of ‘Haven by Sula’, a new 30-room resort opening this month in Nashik, Rajeev Samant, the CEO of Sula Vineyards, said. Tourism already contributes about ₹100 crore to Sula’s ₹600 crore turnover, and is expected to account for nearly one-fifth of revenues by the end of FY26.

“Over the past year, the wine tourism business has been growing faster than our overall business, which was mostly flat. Wine tourism is crucial for the development of wine consumption and appreciation in India, and for any producer to survive and succeed,” Samant shared.

In Q1 FY26, the wine player’s revenue from operations fell 7.9 per cent y-o-y to ₹118.3 crore. However, Sula’s wine tourism reported yet another record quarter with revenue standing at ₹13.7 crore, up 22 per cent y-o-y. Alongside, the wine tourism business has scaled rapidly, growing at a 35 per cent CAGR between FY21 and FY25.

Record hot summer fuels ‘very promising’ 2025 vintage in UK
 Chris Mercer September 5, 2025

There are high early hopes for the 2025 vintage across English and Welsh vineyards as harvest beckons, after a growing season that rekindled memories of the superb 2018 crop.

It has been the warmest summer on record in the UK and winemakers were cautiously optimistic about delivering a top 2025 vintage for sparkling and still wines as harvest approached.

‘Vintage 2025 is looking very promising,’ said Robb Merchant, owner of White Castle Vineyard in Abergavenny, Wales.  

‘We are excited by the flavour profiles, especially with the Pinot Noir Precoce and Siegerrebe, with harvest expected to start around 12 September. 

‘The rain over the past week has been good, and the later varieties [such as] Cabernet Franc, Regent and Phoenix will benefit from it.’

Cherie Spriggs, head winemaker at leading English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber, said she was quietly optimistic, albeit much depended on the coming weeks.  

‘The growing conditions this year have been exceptionally favourable and very reminiscent of 2018, which was a very successful vintage for us,’ said Spriggs in August. ‘Of course, all of this comes with the caveat that we hope Mother Nature remains on our side.’

According to the UK’s Met Office, mean temperature for the three months to 31 August was 16.1℃. That surpasses the previous record, set in 2018, of 15.76℃.  

Brad Greatrix, Nyetimber senior winemaker, said the warm growing season means an earlier harvest. ‘That puts time on our side, as it allows us to tailor and optimise the picking timing when the grapes are at their ripest.’  

Clem Yates MW, wine consultant and Lyme Bay Winery, said harvest would likely to start on 9 September, around three weeks earlier than last year. ‘We hold strong expectations for the 2025 vintage,’ said Yates.

‘While some early September rainfall poses a potential risk to already ripe berries, current indications point to higher sugar levels and lower acidity across the crop. 

‘These conditions are particularly promising for our still wine programmes, where balance and ripeness are key. Throughout the season, we have worked closely with our growers to actively manage crop levels, ensuring the fruit develops to the desired profile for each of our individual wine styles.’ 

Picking began on 2 September at Woodchester Valley Vineyard in the Cotswolds, the earliest start to harvest so far for the estate, which also referenced the warm 2018 growing season.

Fiona Shiner, Woodchester Valley Vineyard founder, said, ‘I remember the 2018 season well. It was the perfect combination of conditions resulting in a bumper crop of amazing quality. Much like this year, the grass was brown but the vines were a vibrant green and thrived.’ 

Still, Shiner added of 2025, ‘It’s too early to tell what this long summer and early harvest means for our wines. Our harvest usually lasts from four to six weeks and a lot can happen between now and mid-October.’

In terms of yields, UK wineries will hope to bounce back from rain-hit volumes in the 2024 vintage. 

Average yields in the UK were the lowest since 2016, said trade body WineGB, even though increased vineyard plantings meant 2024 was still the fourth largest harvest on record.

At White Castle Vineyard in Wales, Robb Merchant said he expected yields in 2025 to be around four times higher than last year, although roughly in-line with average volumes. 

Some young vines planted in 2023 have struggled with the drought during summer 2025, he said, but added, ‘Vines to be harvested this year are looking great.’

The new generation of sommeliers making wine cool again
Saturday 11 February 2023

It’s got a history of being pale, male and stale but the world of wine is finally starting to wake up – and woke up. Tomé Morrissy-Swan speaks to the chefs, sommeliers, influencers and podcasters challenging stuffy stereotypes and, well, making it all a lot less boring

Bottom of Form

At the Drunken Butler, a fine-dining restaurant in Farringdon, London, the wine is served a little differently. Normally, a sommelier brings a series of expensive-looking bottles to match each course, complete with a lengthy, often immediately forgotten, presentation. But here the wine is served blind, the sommelier only later revealing the bottle.

It’s a fun take on what can sometimes be a stuffy premise. Yuma Hashemi, the Tehran-born, Berlin-raised proprietor who, unusually for a chef, often takes the reins in the dining room too, introduced the idea after trialling it on a sommelier friend who guessed every wine but one correctly. “For a guest who doesn’t have much of a wine education, maybe wants to look good on a date, there can be a lot of pressure [when choosing wine],” says Hashemi. “We took the pressure away by serving all the wine blind.”

Ordering wine, particularly in high-end restaurants, has always been fraught with fear for the uninitiated. The traditional image of an intimidating sommelier (tall, white, besuited, snooty, testing your knowledge). The endless questions: what wine do you like? “Don’t say chardonnay, don’t say chardonnay.” Am I swirling my glass right? Do I need to sniff it first? How do I describe the wine without feeling stupid? Can’t I just get the second cheapest bottle?

“Many people feel they must live up to what one might call this ‘old-school’ mentality of what enjoying wines means,” says Charles Carron Brown, sommelier and restaurant manager at Simon Rogan’s Aulis in London. In fact, he’s worked across Rogan’s restaurant empire, including the three-Michelin-starred L’Enclume in Cumbria. “It certainly doesn’t need to be frightening. It’s all about creating that experience that makes guests feel comfortable.”

A growing number of people across the industry, from producers to sommeliers, social media influencers to wine teachers, are on a quest to make wine more accessible.

“Things are getting much better because of the ambition and drive from a new generation coming through,” says Paris Barghchi, a former GM and wine buyer at the now-closed Peg in east London, who leads a course at Provisions Wine School aimed partly at making wine less intimidating. “I came out of the WSET [Wine and Spirit Education Trust] exam and there was such a mixture of people in attendance. Lots of languages, different ways of communicating, different clothing. That really gave me hope.”

Barghchi’s approach to making customers feel comfortable is to start with emotion rather than knowledge. “The first thing I ask is how are you feeling? What do you feel like drinking? I always engage in conversation first, learn a bit about them.” If they don’t know what they like, Barghchi asks what classic mainstream wine they go for. “It’s all about personal interaction, not what you are selling.”

Aulis sommelier Charles Carron Brown thinks telling the story of a wine to punters is important (Supplied)

Carron Brown takes a similar line. Rather than starting with incomprehensibly complex tasting notes, he prefers a story – of a vineyard, perhaps, or meeting a farmer. It becomes more personal and relatable than talk of salinity or dustiness.

Social media has played a key role in demystifying wine, with young influencers like Wine Gini, The London Wine Girl or Carron Brown’s The Natural Sommelier presenting it as exciting and aspirational, just not in a traditional expensive-claret-in-the-cellar way. When wine writer and host of the I’ll Have What She’s Having podcast Hannah Crosbie began posting wine reviews to Instagram during lockdown, she quickly drew a large following, particularly among younger generations.

“Social media democratises learning about wine,” says Crosbie, whose interest emerged when working at a fine-dining restaurant at 17. A growing profile led to her launching Dalston Wine Club in 2020, a wildly popular monthly event aimed at demystifying wine. For £35, attendees are given four glasses of quality wine tied to a theme in an unintimidating environment. “The language I use when presenting wine is inclusive,” says Crosbie. “I gauge people’s knowledge so I can talk about the same wine in different ways to different people, it’s not a vibe where I’m lecturing you. It’s a young and diverse crowd, and as more and more people get into wine, that crowd is naturally going to become more diverse.”

Natural wine – a term with no universally accepted definition but is generally considered to incorporate environmentally friendly farming techniques and minimal intervention in the production – is arguably the biggest wine trend of the past decade, to the delight of young eco-conscious oenophiles and the ire of restaurant critics who turn their nose up at its funky (some say farmyardy) notes. Restaurants and wine bars focusing on natural wine, such as P Franco in London or Erst in Manchester, offer high-quality wines in casual settings. When the Portuguese vinho verde Chin Chin made by the team at notable wine bar Noble Rot – with its playful Millennial-pleasing label typical of natural wines – became the talk of the town during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, it seemed practically everyone under 30 in London had a bottle. (Ironically, it turns out not to be a natural wine, despite the common misconception.)

Nevertheless for Crosbie, the natural wine world was an easier avenue into the industry, though she still describes it as something of a “white boys’ club”. But the movement has been “completely instrumental in getting loads of young people into wine. Traditional wine lovers looked down on it, and young people felt like it was their space, where they could ask questions and learn.” She points out that words commonly used to describe wine in this sphere, like “juicy” or “crunchy”, help young people find their own wine vocabulary.

Paris Barghchi leads a wine course aimed at making it all a bit less intimidating (Supplied)

Barghchi, who this year will begin her own journey into winemaking in Wiltshire, points out that there are plenty of natural wine bars where she’s had a bad experience, and many fancy restaurants where the sommeliers aren’t intimidating at all. “The head sommelier at Chez Bruce [a Michelin-starred restaurant in Wandsworth] is in many ways your typical sommelier, but his approach to talking about wine and sharing his passion is incredibly accessible and inspirational.”

The wine industry’s image is beginning to change. While it is still seen as pale, male and stale (a recent Diversity in Wine Survey said there was a “significant” lack of diversity in the industry), a new generation of writers, sommeliers, podcasters, influencers and importers are beginning to challenge that stereotype.

Back at the Drunken Butler, guests are given a piece of paper and pen and asked to provide their reaction to the wine. Some write detailed descriptions, some focus on their feelings, others make drawings – there are no rules. Hashemi keeps all the notes and hopes to one day publish them. And in fact, not knowing what you’re drinking removes any fear of “getting it right”. It’s just one example of how the wine world is beginning to loosen up.

If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade. If it Gives You Wine Grapes, Make Ketchup.

Wine cooperatives in the Rhône are sending 250 tonnes of wine grapes to make grape concentrate that will be used in ketchup.

Robert Joseph

Sep 05, 2025

There are few more vivid illustrations of the plight of Europe’s wine industry than the news – via Vitisphere – that grapes grown by the members of the Sablet and Séguret cooperatives are now being used to sweeten ketchup rather than for wine.

The logic behind this is simple. When used for wine, the grapes are valued at either €35-60 ($41-70) per hectolitre (26.4 US gallons) for IGP wines, or €75-85 ($88- 100) for AOP Côtes du Rhône. If the fruit is converted into grape concentrate, however, the value shoots up to €100/hl ($4.43/US gallon).

This equation is greatly helped by the absence of AOP/IGP limits on yields. As Patrice Florentin, director of the CAPL (Provence-Languedoc Agricultural Cooperative) which has been buying the grapes, explained to Vitisphere, when making concentrate, ‘we achieve a turnover that is six times higher per hectare than with IGP and three times higher than with AOP’.

In 2024, the CAPL purchased 25 tonnes of grapes. This year, the figure will be 250 tonnes – 10% of the cooperatives’ total 2025 harvest, and as much as a quarter of the Sablet Gravillas winery’s crop. The grapes will be transformed into 30 tonnes of concentrate.

Behind this arrangement lies a network of relationships that might be hard to imagine in the US, for example. Based in Avignon, the CAPL, was founded in 1884 as an agricultural cooperative serving French farmers in Provence and Languedoc.

Today, it has over 12,000 farmer-members and revenues of around €100m ($117m) from a range of activities including viticulture, arboriculture, cereals and animal feeds. Apart from its relationship with the Sablet and Séguret, cooperatives, it is also owner of the La Cuisine Provençale food brand, makers of the ketchup.

1. Florentin enthusiastically suggests that ketchup is only the start. This year, there will apparently be other sauces, all of which will benefit from using less sugar, and the grape concentrate may be used by caterers to replace pricier strawberry and raspberry coulis, and quite possibly by the cosmetics industry.

All of which will be good news for those who dread the uprooting of French vineyards, but possibly less so for lovers of Côtes du Rhône wines.

Direct-to-consumer sales of Canadian wine: Why waiting until May 2026 is too late

September 8, 2025 
By Douglas Hart

With the high public awareness of free trade and tariff wars, there is an increased realization that Canada does not even have free trade within our own country. Interprovincial trade barriers have been in place for decades, including those inhibiting the movement of labour, trucking and the sale of wine. One wonders why the sale of Canadian wine is restricted by provincial borders when Canada is trying to expand free trade with other countries. It is time for Canada to walk the talk on free trade by removing provincial trade barriers for the sale of wines.

A snapshot of the Canadian wine industry

There are an estimated 615 wineries in Canada. B.C. has 245 and Ontario has 185 with the balance in Nova Scotia and other provinces. However, Ontario produces a high percentage of the wine in Canada (62 per cent) as they have considerably more acreage of grapes. Canadian wineries exported an estimated $99.8 million worth of wine in 2024. Eighty-five percent of this went to the U.S. This pales in comparison to the wine Canada imports. In 2024, Canada imported $2.67 billion of wine, 69 per cent of this came from France, Italy and U.S.

With U.S. wines taken off the shelves in many provinces in March, consumers are increasingly buying wines from their own province as well as those from Italy, France, Spain, Chile and other countries. LCBO sales results show that since U.S. wines have been pulled from its shelves Ontario wines have enjoyed a big jump in market share followed by a less pronounced market share increase for other countries.

However, consumers are seeing few wines from other provinces at their liquor stores. Consumers in Ontario have a wide selection of Ontario wines but see very few B.C. wines. Similarly, B.C. consumers can buy B.C. wines but very few from Ontario. It is a common complaint from B.C. wineries that it is easier for them to sell their wine to Washington, Oregon, and other U.S. states than it is to sell to the Ontario market. To open up some of these provincial barriers, Canada is in the process of reforming its interprovincial trade laws for wine and alcohol to allow for direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales of Canadian wine across provinces by May 2026.

The proposed DTC wine program

Currently, wine and alcoholic regulations do not allow wineries to sell wine directly to consumers in other provinces. The federal government along with the provinces and territories signed a MoU on June 30, 2025, on an action plan for the DTC program.

The DTC plan would allow wineries, distilleries and craft brewers to directly sell wine and alcohol to customers in other provinces. Some in the wine industry are slightly ahead of this plan. Some wineries have been selling wine to customers in other provinces by way of their wine clubs, referred to by some as a ‘grey market’. Lightning Rock Winery, Summerland, B.C., recently announced plans to ship wine to customers in Ontario immediately even though regulations aren’t in place. The industry is clearly signalling to government that May 2026 is too late to launch this program.

B.C. and Manitoba already have a DTC wine agreement in place as does Nova Scotia. B.C. and Nova Scotia allow DTC wine sales if they consist of 100 per cent Canadian wine (VQA). Alberta was included in the B.C.-Manitoba agreement but then decided to include an ad valorem tax (a percentage-based liquor markup on ‘high value’ wine) along with its planned $3 per bottle admin fee. This move made B.C. wines too expensive and B.C. wineries have stopped selling to Alberta customers. This was seen as a tax grab particularly in light of the fact that Alberta does not have a wine industry to protect. Therein lies the rub. The devil is in the details about how this system will work. Provinces will have to put aside their tendency to put additional taxes or mark-ups on wine coming in from other provinces to make this plan work.

The only way the industry sees this plan working is for wine to be sold to out-of-province customers on the same basis as selling to local consumers. For example, an Ontario customer would order wine from a B.C. winery and pay the usual B.C. sales tax but not any additional tax or LCBO mark-up when it arrives in Ontario (other than perhaps a small LCBO admin fee). The same arrangement would apply for a B.C. customer ordering Ontario wine. Wineries feel that this system will fail if provinces impose mark-ups or any fees beyond a nominal amount for out-of-province DTC sales.

Benefits of the DTC wine program

My interviews with wineries in Ontario, B.C. and wine grower associations show that there is keen interest in seeing a direct-to-customer program for wine. It is believed that wineries of all sizes would benefit. Small, medium- and large-sized wineries see opportunities to expand sales through their wine club program by presenting personalized offerings, special discounts and other promotions. (Wineries make the highest profit by selling their wine at their tastings room and to wine club members as they do not pay liquor board mark-ups as they would at liquor stores).

The challenge for Canadian wineries, particularly for the small and medium-sized, is how to get their name in front of consumers in other provinces. Promoting their tasting rooms for visitors, expanding their wine club program to out-of-province consumers, offering special wine selections, holding special events in target cities, creating a compelling website and effectively using social media are all options for wineries wishing to maximize their success for the DTC program.

Wine industry representatives believe the DTC wine program will allow greater choice for consumers, but caution that these sales may only eventually reach perhaps 2 per cent of all wine sales in Canada. So for provinces that feel they will miss out on taxes, the vast majority of wine sales will continue to come from the provincial liquor stores.

Will this mean free trade for wine in Canada?

If the provinces can come to an agreement to create a level playing field on how provincial admin fees, mark-ups, rebates will be handled, the DTC wine program would allow Canadian consumers to gain some degree of access to wines of their choice from other provinces.

However, this will not solve the problem of being unable to buy wine from other provinces at the liquor store. Even with the DTC program in place, the vast majority of Canadian wine sold at provincial liquor stores will continue to heavily favour their provincial wineries. So, to truly remove interprovincial trade barriers for wine the provincial liquor stores need to prominently display wine from other provinces.

Let’s give Canadian wines in liquor stores across Canada at least as much shelf space as afforded to wines from Italy, France, U.S., Chile and other countries. If we truly believe in free trade, then its time to remove provincial protectionism and open up the market for all Canadian wines.

The Controversial Cru Bourgeois Classification Gets Another Upgrade—But Does It Matter Anymore?

After decades of back and forth, the bar is said to be higher than ever for the 2025 Cru Bourgeois classification. But does the designation hold any meaning for buyers of Bordeaux?

Bordeaux’s Cru Bourgeois—a classification for Médoc châteaux not ranked in the 1855 classification of Grand Crus—has received yet another revamping, and an apparently new-and-improved era for the designation is upon us. The Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc and its member châteaux are leaning hard on the message that this time the bar is higher, with stricter criteria and rules ensuring a renaissance of affordable greatness.

It’s a daunting global moment, though, with grape gluts, health scaremongering, tariffs, and a generational reckoning for wine. Within this context, and with iconic Médoc estates like Château Chasse-Spleen continuing to forgo the Cru Bourgeois badge and its troubled past, can the designation possibly move the needle toward meaningful brand adoption among industry professionals and consumers?

It’s impossible to read the cards for the future of Cru Bourgeois without first addressing its relationship to the 1855 elephant in the room. While some may think of it as the definitive statement on terroir and lasting prestige in Bordeaux’s left bank, it turns out to be more a creature of a specific moment.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

“Even before the 1855 classification, these unofficial lists existed among the merchants,” says consultant and educator Mary Gorman-McAdams, MW. “This one stuck, and now you can’t unstick it.” As a Bordeaux specialist, she frames the 1855 declaration as a sort of price list that’s been frozen in time—fair or not—and the advantages it bestowed have compounded over the decades.

Beneath its 1855 overlords, Cru Bourgeois has sought from its inception to carve out some semblance of stature in Grand Cru’s shadow via a cooperative trademark. “We believe in the power of the group,” says Marguerite de Luze, a co-owner of Cru Bourgeois standout Château Paveil de Luze in Margaux. “[We’ve] been part of the Crus Bourgeois since the beginning.”

At points along the way, though, the Cru Bourgeois name mired itself in confusion and controversy.

Bourgeois Baggage

“It needs a genuine rebranding, which we’re currently working on,” admits Armelle Cruse, the president of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc and a co-owner of top-tier Haut-Médoc member Château du Taillan. “[But] it’s mainly the industry that holds a blurred image. That’s actually an opportunity: by rebuilding around clear values.”

The designation was created in 1932—with a whopping 444 estates—to give producers of quality that didn’t make the 1855 Cru Classé list a boost out of the masses.

It chugged along through the decades before an attempt to revitalize the concept in 2003 went sideways.

A ranking system of three tiers was introduced along with more stringent criteria, slimming the group down to 247 châteaux. But controversy ensued, with conflict of interest allegations directed at the Cru Bourgeois governing panel and general rancor from estates receiving less-than-ideal tier positioning or outright exclusion. In 2007, after years of legal wrangling and investigation, the designation was banned by a French court.

Around 2010, Cru Bourgeois made a restructured reintroduction with a rollback to the single-tier system. But this new iteration was met with further frustration, and disgruntled top-tier “Exceptionnels” châteaux—including the likes of Chasse-Spleen, Poujeaux, and Potensac—protested their loss of prestige positioning by abandoning the Cru Bourgeois concept altogether.

“I completely understand not wanting to participate,” says Rebecca Banks, the beverage director for the French-centric McNally Restaurant Group in New York City. “[It’s] a system that has been very inconsistent since its inception.” Why, then, should industry buyers or end consumers trust it?

The Cru Bourgeois Makeover

In a sort of heartfelt act of contrition for a mismanaged past, the 2020 edition reinstalled a three-tiered ranking system, with the 249 qualifying châteaux subjected to strict blind tasting protocols and compulsory reevaluation conducted every five years.

The new 2025 iteration, which was released in February, boasts even more stringent requirements, including enhanced environmental certifications and site inspections. And the château count this time around? Down to a more distinguished 170.

It’s a good step forward, but the question remains: Can this phoenix inspire renewed interest for the Cru Bourgeois brand in the modern market?

Even for some members of the current Cru Bourgeois regime, the concept is still a work in progress. Loïc Le Bozec, the estate manager and winemaker at top Cru Bourgeois producer Château d’Arsac, would like to see more relatable messaging for the brand. “The Crus Bourgeois should emphasize their unbeatable value for money,” he says. “These wines receive the same level of care and attention as a [Grand Cru] classified growth, but at much more accessible prices.” However, he points to the challenge of conveying a unified message with such a large and diverse group, and he’d welcome a further culling of the herd.

In the current economic and geopolitical climate, assertively contrasting Crus Bourgeois against the luxury-priced, elite 1855 classified growths could be a useful approach. But it’s doubtful that pushing another Bordeaux classification to memorize at already-confused wine consumers—however relatable and attractively priced it may be—would prove a useful maneuver.

Trade Dilemma for the New-Old Bordeaux Brand

For any substantial future Cru Bourgeois success among general consumers, collective messaging likely needs to be distilled through the trade and media. Winning over those modern professionals, though, won’t be an easy task.

As a buyer with deep experience in Bordeaux, it’s encouraging that Banks embraces the current Cru Bourgeois iteration and its value in the market. “Cru Bourgeois wines have a huge advantage: They are typically less expensive and largely approachable in their youth,” she says. “They represent quality and value.” As unlikely as it may seem relative to its legacy image, Bordeaux is now among the world’s best bangs for the buck. But with the region’s entrenched, stiff image and Cru Bourgeois’s historical baggage, she believes that buyers like her will need to hand-hold their customers toward the opportunity.

For some other professionals—those not as in tune with the region—the new classification may not hold much meaning, but that’s more of a function of attitudes towards Bordeaux as a whole, rather than Cru Bourgeois itself. “I’ve often come across in the market a complete lack of interest in anything new or anything exciting happening in Bordeaux,” Gorman-McAdams says. “People have this narrow view of what Bordeaux is and what Bordeaux should be.” 

However, there is good indication the Cru Bourgeois classification holds some kind of weight among buyers; when Gorman-McAdams conducts distributor education sessions, many sales reps report that Cru Bourgeois helps the sale along. “When it comes to Bordeaux, [having a classification] still means something for some of their customers, and especially for Médoc estates that are not so well known, it can make the sale easier,” she notes.

While more approachable tourism campaigns can help Bordeaux in a broad sense, the Cru Bourgeois collective’s main challenge is to hammer home the message of its refurbished brand to professionals—all without another contentious calamity. There does seem to be more organized, can-do optimism this time around, though. 

“It is up to us to revitalize the brand,” says de Luze. And if she and the other Crus Bourgeois can entice the trade with the revamped brand’s environmental bona fides, freshly relatable comportment, reworked structure, and superlative value, buyers and their teams may step up to do heavy lifting as conduit for the cause.

Corks exempt from 15% tariff in the US

Drinks business- 05 September 2025 By Sarah Neish

Closures manufacturers are celebrating as Trump announces that cork stoppers will not be subject to the 15% tariff applied to most EU products exported to the US. Sarah Neish reports.

According to the trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, from 1 September cork joins the likes of airplanes and certain pharmaceuticals in being exempt from the 15% tariff slapped on EU goods exported to the US.

Described by the latest US regulations as an “unavailable natural product”, cork will be able to be exported to the United States without the additional tax. The decision comes as a relief for key players in the Portuguese cork industry, who have been lobbying for the tariff reprieve for some time.

Speaking exclusively to the drinks business, Nuno Silva, marketing manager for leading Portuguese cork manufacturer MA Silva, praised the “unique status” awarded to cork, which “ensures that no tariffs are applied to cork and its derivatives — especially the iconic cork stopper.”

Calling the exemption “much more than a trade decision”, Silva adds that the ruling “is a safeguard for an entire sector that supports wine culture around the world.”

“The delay in the American government’s resolution created uncertainty across markets and industries, and the cork sector was no exception,” he says. “Yet today, more than ever, cork continues to affirm itself as an irreplaceable partner to wine, preserving its authenticity, quality, and tradition.”

Domestic cork industry

The decision not to impose the 15% tariff on corks has much to do with the absence of a domestic cork industry in the United States.

Despite db breaking the news in 2023 that California was eyeing up its own domestic cork production, with the likes of E & J Gallo rumoured to be actively purchasing raw oak material, this is yet to get underway at any real scale.

“People are starting to think about growing cork in California because cork oak trees grow well there, but no one knows quite how to do it,” Bryan Avila who sits on the Napa Regional Conservation District board, told db.

As Silva emphasises, “there are no genuine local or international alternatives capable of replacing the natural cork closure. International recognition of the unique geographical origin of cork is key to the United States’ decision [to exclude cork from the export tariff], as this raw material is produced exclusively in the Mediterranean basin. This reinforces its strategic role in the American wine market.”

The US is the second-largest market for Portuguese cork after France, importing US$241 million worth in 2023, 70% of which was in the form of cork stoppers, according to the Natural Cork Council.

“For the cork industry to come together and made a collective effort to have conversations with government levels in both Europe and Washington, it’s obviously a positive result for everyone,” says Jochen Michalski, founder and president of Cork Supply, which was founded in the US in 1981. “The United States continues to be one of our strongest markets globally.”

Competitive prices

Speaking to db, Eric Feunteun, director general of Diam Bouchage, the world’s second-largest cork stopper producer, said he “warmly thanks the United States and the European Union—led by Portugal, France, and Spain—for reaching a trade agreement.”

Importantly, he explains, the deal, “which exempts cork from duties due to the unique Mediterranean origin of cork oak” will allow US winemakers “to continue safeguarding the quality of their wines at competitive prices.”

Négociants Say No to Bordeaux

Margaret Rand-12-Jul-2025

No one was happy with this year’s Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, but some producers just don’t see a problem.

© Bordeaux Tourism | The Place de Bordeaux has not been filled with joyous négociants since the En Primeur campaign.

“This was the vintage when négociants realized that the word ‘No’ does exist.”

So says Stephen Browett of UK merchant Farr Vintners, and this sums up both the dynamic of the 2024 En Primeur campaign and the reason why châteaux in the main did not sell out – which in turn is the reason why many of them accept that they have a problem.

“Literally no négociant has sold out,” says Browett. “It was a terrible campaign. Not a single wine has sold out for us and most haven’t sold at all. Lafite did quite well, but it hasn’t sold out. Les Carmes Haut-Brion was okay and the other Firsts were okay, but they’re all still available.”

Another merchant puts it even more succinctly: “It was shit. Total shit.” Or, in more detail from yet another merchant: “We reduced our target for the campaign by about 50 percent of what we did in 2023. For a long time even that looked fairly sluggish. We’ll just about flop over the line. And we did better than some.”

The bare facts of the year are familiar: a year complicated by rain and rot, where only intense attention to the vineyards allowed even a small crop to be brought in; and that small quantity was reduced further, by those châteaux determined to produce the best wine they could, by severe selection on the sorting table.

Nobody would claim it’s a great year, or even a very good one; but there are many forward, fresh, juicy wines for early drinking. To call it an off-vintage (though it is, obviously) suggests that the wines are poor; instead they are graceful, well defined and sometimes with notable complexity. Even the grandest will be delicious in five to 10 years’ time. And they were given good ratings by those critics who hand out scores – so good, sometimes, that a great vintage will soon need 110 out of 100. Those who see Bordeaux-bashing in any criticism will have a hard job this year.

The prices, as we know, fell, often by quite a lot. The First Growths on average came down around 50 percent on their 2022 prices: Lafite, as Browett mentions, was one of the successes, commercially, of the campaign.

And yet the campaign overall bombed. Why? You don’t have to look far to find answers.

“There has to be a reason to buy early,” says one merchant. “There has to be a benefit.” (Apologies for all this anonymity, but most people were only prepared to talk off the record.)

“This vintage was not seen as investable,” they continue. “Therefore what was the reason to buy?”

Another suggests that the very fact of lower prices indicated a lesser year, and therefore one to avoid. Put simply, nobody needs Bordeaux any more. There has to be a reason to buy it en primeur; there has to be a reason to buy it at all.

Browett adds: “Consumers have bought two vintages en primeur and seen them cheaper later. The 2021s were released at more than the 2019s, though it was clearly an inferior year: people bought wines at £5000 [$6790] a case and saw them later at £3000 a case. They were ripped off in previous years, so they saw no point in buying en primeur. When wine becomes physical, it should be either not available or more expensive, and that hasn’t happened for ages. There’s no point in buying if wines don’t appreciate in price. If it had been a good year they might have said, we’d better buy some. But they’re fed up, and it’s an off-vintage, so they skipped it.

“Will they come back? It’s too simplistic to say. If 2025 is good and cheaper than physical wines on the market, they’ll come back. But we need a year when the consumer wins, not the châteaux.”

Merchants have of course been saying this sort of thing for a while, but as long as the négoce obediently took up their allocations of the new wines the châteaux were able to say they’d sold everything, so what’s the problem? And the négoce were prepared to take up their allocations while they could borrow money cheaply to finance their stocks and finance new purchases; the threat of losing their allocations was enough to make that decision for them.

But then interest rates rose. Suddenly financing their stocks became a problem, and they had to destock, often quite quickly. Suddenly their banks were telling them to reduce their overdrafts.

“In 2021 they bought,” says Browett, “even though the price was wrong, and they’re stuck with the wines. This year they said No, even though prices were more realistic. It was 2021 that caused the problems with 2024.”

It is the négoce that mostly holds stocks of Bordeaux, as well as the châteaux, though of course the châteaux gauge the success of any campaign on the speed with which they shift their stock on to someone else’s balance sheet. Retail merchants do not these days keep big stocks to mature. It’s far better and cheaper, if they want more, to go back to the négoce to buy it as they need it.

Top merchants tend to cultivate relationships with top châteaux, so if merchant A finds that demand is good for Château B, it gets in touch with the château and buys the wine through the château’s chosen négociant. It’s a system that depends on a network of relationships, and on everyone, including the en primeur customer, making a profit. Now customers are more likely to look at the price of mature wine in bottle and realise it is more advantageous to buy that.

“Lafite 2024 was offered at a price cheaper than any vintage you could find,” says one merchant; and that was why it sold.

“A lot of châteaux have ridden a gravy train for a decade or more,” says one merchant. “That’s fine, when they’re riding a bull market. And there’s a wish by some châteaux to be seen as luxury goods, so they have to price at a certain level. There’s room for a realistic recalibration now; for some wines to become more accessible. Maybe a dozen can be luxury-goods brands. Others who have been aspiring upwards may have to become more realistic.

“A lot have borrowed a lot to invest in new facilities, so they need a return at a certain level. Some can afford to stay at the top of the tree; some may have to have a rethink. It won’t be quick.”

Because it’s not only négociants who are suffering, and not only retail merchants who are licking their wounds from a greatly reduced turnover. Not every château is cash-rich. “The Firsts and Super-Seconds can manage,” said one merchant. “But below that, they’re hurting.” More châteaux are for sale on the quiet than would ever be admitted publicly. For many of them, the numbers just don’t add up.

The châteaux themselves say things like this: “We have no issue keeping stocks. We released 40 percent of Canon en primeur. We’re not finished yet. We won’t oblige anyone to buy!” (Jean-Basile Roland, Château Canon, Saint-Émilion).

“We released 11,000 bottles and sold all of it. It was a good campaign for me.” (Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse, Château Beauséjour, Saint-Émilion).

“It was difficult to get customers interested. It’s because of the state of the world, all upside-down. The 2024s are opportunities for drinkers; some of the good deals of the campaign have gone unnoticed.” (Jean-Charles Cazes, Château Lynch-Bages).

“It was difficult. Usually we release on a Monday, and by the end of Tuesday we know the result. This year we had to wait four weeks for the final result.” (Sara Lecomte Cuvelier, Château Léoville Poyferré).

“It could have been worse. If people don’t want to buy, we have other wines to sell; other years, other wines – 2024 is a lovely year; people will come to it later, and realize.” (Damien Barton Sartorious, Châteaux Léoville-Barton and Langoa Barton).

© Château Lafite Rothschild | Lafite was one of the few success stories from this year’s En Primeur campaign.

All of which raises the question: what happens next? Says Justine Tesseron of Pontet-Canet – which put a few noses out of joint this campaign by coming out, early, with a lesser reduction than expected – “It was not a bad campaign; not the best. We sold less, but we will sell it later. We came down 23 percent on the 2023 price, which was 30 percent down on 2022. We have a long-term vision. If we reduce the price a lot it’s okay for now, but not for the future. We must keep our position.”

“Cheaper and cheaper doesn’t help,” adds Roland. “We need to have people buy to drink.”

Which is of course the nub of the problem. People aren’t drinking Bordeaux, and going cheaper and cheaper can’t be the only solution. People who had built up cellars of the stuff are selling, and merchants have to manage that as best they can to avoid too much coming onto the market and trashing it, perhaps by buying it in themselves and selling it in markets where mature wine is in demand, like the US. Millésima has a shop in New York; Berry Bros is opening a shop in Washington soon.

People have to drink it, but those châteaux who have positioned themselves as purveyors of investment wine have arguably given themselves a problem.

“Anyone involved in investment doesn’t drink it,” says one merchant. “If you have a loyal following – like the Bartons do, or Domaine de Chevalier, people who work really, really hard to keep their customers – then you do better. But others have lost the market of actual drinkers, and they have to start again from scratch.”

Not all châteaux realize this, according to Fabrice Bernard of Millésima. “Some know there’s a problem; some understand. Some are lost, and understand nothing. Price is about the offer and the demand. The question is, how to increase demand? That is the only goal.”

Bernard’s advice is twofold: first, define your brand.

“You need to define who you are and what you want to do. When somebody buys a bottle of this wine and not that wine, why is that?” Crucially, he says, châteaux should work with restaurants. “Offer it by the glass and at a fair price: there will be a cost for this, and châteaux should regard it as a marketing cost. It is not possible for the [mark-up] to be six to eight times the price of a [retail] bottle. It must be like Champagne: the same percentage.”

Then, he says, châteaux should work with merchants who are retailers. People like Millésima themselves; Berry Bros; Zachys; the big, familiar names who have plenty of reach to customers. They should do offers via the retailers’ websites, via their email lists: they should work with retailers direct to promote their brands. And yes, there will be a cost for this, as well. Châteaux, he suggests, need to get serious about marketing and about reaching their customers; and it would arguably be a better use of money than hiring yet another internationally famous architect to design something that only a comparatively few people will ever visit.

“In the 1970s,” he says, “when it was hard for Bordeaux, Jean-Michel Cazes, Henri Duboscq and some others took their wine to the Champ de Mars in Paris and gave it to people to taste, and it worked. We have to do exactly the same thing again. We have to do it in restaurants, by the glass.”

That is the key, he says, but it’s not the only thing. “The decrease in price this year was not enough. It was a good reduction, but it was not enough. I started in December to explain to the châteaux that they had to be at the 2008 price plus inflation. That would have been 50 percent down on 2023. They did 50percent down on 2022. Perhaps I’m wrong, but they didn’t do it, so I don’t know. We need an electric shock on price: something that makes people say, at this price, I can’t say no.”

Then there is production.

“If you have more production, you can reduce the price. If you don’t have more production, you can’t do that. Production has to be 50 hectoliters per hectare, and 80 percent in the first wine, not 20 percent in the first wine and 80 percent in the second wine, third wine, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh… They have to work differently. The firsts can, the seconds I don’t know, the thirds perhaps not. You have to reduce the price because customers want something different. If you can’t reduce the retail price you must work at marketing, and go to restaurants and increase demand.”

People have to drink it. People are not drinking it. Bordeaux has for years paid lip-service to the idea of actual people actually drinking while, in practice, pricing its wines as luxury goods, for investment – with exceptions, as above. I mentioned to Bernard that apart from the most traditional London restaurants, few have much Bordeaux on their lists. He laughed, and reeled off other cities too. But they all have many wonderful wines from other places.

Give us reasons to choose your wines rather than others, Bordeaux. Please.

Organic fully arrives for Penedès

by Miquel Hudin  |  10-07-2025

“Any vacation requests from the 11th of August onward are being denied.” Such was the ominous beginning to an interview with a winery owner in DO Terra Alta for a forthcoming report.

But this is the new reality in that while there has been abundant rain in 2025, harvests still hold the potential to arrive many weeks earlier than the did just a decade or two ago. Thus, as crazy as it might seem at the moment, everyone’s thoughts are turning to the coming harvest which, if you produce white wines, is just a month away.

We also come to a rather critical moment for DO Penedès as this will be the first harvest for them where absolutely all the grapes that come in will need to be organically certified.

This might seem a strange thing to make note of and the reason for that is they’re first wine region in all of Spain to require this. It’s why they started working towards this goal, back in 2021 as part of their ‘2030 Strategic Plan’. And note that while Corpinnat’s producers need to be certified orangic at a minimum (and occupy roughly the same area as DO Penedès), they don’t as of yet have DO status.

While organic production in the dry viticultural zones of the Mediterranean is less challenging than say Galicia or Bordeaux, it’s not without its challenges. This was readily shown with the largescale mildew attack that hit in 2020. That vintage saw a number of producers who were working towards organic certification in DO Cava use chemical treatments in order to bring in the vintage and thus lose their certification unfortunately.

It remains to be seen how this will affect producers who have uncertified hectares but there is the ability to use DO Catalunya which overlaps DO Penedès for still wines. There is also DO Cava which, despite their recent promotional efforts to state that their ‘Cava de Guarda Superior’ classification is, like DO Penedès, only for organically-grown grapes from 2025 onwards, this but a mere 13% of the total production.

Needless to say, it will be an interesting evolution to watch and hopefully Penedès will be the first of many to take this on. In the meantime, here’s a selection of DO Penedès wines that have been certified as organic for quite some time and will have no issue with the new regulations other than to ask, “Why didn’t it happy sooner?”

Moët Hennessy Rocked by “Toxic” Claims

Barnaby EalesLast updated 13-Jul-2025

The global drinks giant is reeling after claims of misconduct from a former employee.

The drinks arm of luxury goods group LVMH is facing a few bumps in the road.

Allegations of a “toxic” workplace culture, where a “boys’ club mentality” ruled at Moët Hennessy have emerged raising fresh questions over the management structure in place at the company’s Paris headquarters.

The recent sacking of a chief of staff at Moët Hennessy, the drinks division of the LVMH group, who had accused senior staff of sexual harassment, gender discrimination and unfair dismissal, has now prompted a dozen people linked to the company to denounce “an environment that allowed bullying and mismanagement” to flourish.

The fresh allegations were reported in the Financial Times (FT) on July 10, and have since been reported on internationally.

According to the FT, at least 20 staff at the business’s headquarters went on long-term sick leave in 2024, leading some executives to comment in a senior leadership meeting that they had never seen such numbers before.

At least one company executive is alleged to have launched an investigation into the private life of an employee.

“Many of the employees had complained of stress and bullying, several subsequently left the business. Gossip and rumors were rife at Moët Hennessy, while a ‘boys’ club’ mentality was common, the FT said.

Whistleblower Maria Gasparovic, a former chief of staff to LVMH’s wine and spirits business’s global head of distribution Jean-Marc Lacave, was fired in June 2024, four months after alerting her managers and human resources department to alleged misconduct by more senior colleagues.

Former Chief Operating Officer Mark Stead, who is in a relationship with Gasparovic and accompanied her to meetings with HR to complain about her situation, was dismissed shortly after her on the grounds that he had misused travel and expenses resources. He is alleged to have breached a non-disclosure agreement.

At least four other female employees at the Paris headquarters had reported bullying and harassment before leaving the group, the report said.

Three of the employees took their complaints to the employment tribunal in cases that have since been settled. Male staff have also lodged complaints with the employment tribunal.

Male staff have also lodged complaints with the employment tribunal.

Legal battle

Gasparaovic is now seeking €1.3 million ($1.52m) in damages and compensation at a Paris employment tribunal. She alleges that her superiors told her she needed “anti-seduction” training to qualify for a promotion and that executives had claimed she “was gagging for it”. Stead, her partner, is also preparing a legal case against the company.

Gasparovic reported her harassment allegations along with a fellow whistleblower to Moët Hennessy’s corporate human resources director in February 2024. The FT said her boss had threatened to present a case for her dismissal if she did not comply with certain demands, including a course in anti-seduction training, she claims.

Moët Hennessy has refused to comment on the allegations, but is now suing Gasparovic for defamation after she later posted her allegations on social media, the FT said.

Gasparovic’s LinkedIn page no longer exists. A court case is expected to take place this autumn.

In her dismissal letter, Moët Hennessy said it had fired her due to her personal conduct, alleging she made threatening remarks to colleagues.

The FT however said a former employee described how their boss would “scream at people like it was a fashion house in the 1990s, except we are in 2025 – that behaviour is no longer acceptable. Lots of people were going on sick leave, people were disappearing overnight. It took on disruptive proportions.”

In a note sent to staff in September 2024, Moët Hennessy’s then-chief executive Philippe Schaus and head of HR Paula Fallowfield sought to assuage widespread concern within the company about the string of employee departures and Gasparovic’s public allegations on social media.

“We assure you that each case has been handled thoughtfully, fairly and in line with a commitment to confidentiality and our values,” they wrote in the email, while reminding staff of “the distress one-sided narratives may cause”.

“We are committed to providing a positive working environment.. moreover, we are also determined to do everything possible to protect the reputation of Moët Hennessy,” they wrote. 

Executives quit

However, in a further twist in the story, just months after Gasparovic went public with some of her allegations, Schaus and several other Moët Hennessy executives left LVMH, along with the luxury group’s global head of HR Chantal Gaemperle. Gasparovic’s boss Lacave departed at the start of this year.

Avi Bitton, an employment lawyer in Paris who has represented several Moët Hennessy workers on employment law issues, told the FT that he had been contacted by LVMH managers “monthly”, as they made at times acrimonious exits from the group, and that several were employed by the wine and spirits business. “There’s clearly an issue at Moët Hennessy,” he said.

Gasparovic also alleges that Moët Hennessy continued shipping products via intermediaries to Russia even after LVMH announced in March 2022 that it would suspend operations in the country.

The allegations of a toxic environment at the company emerged after LVMH announced plans in May this year to cut 1200 jobs – about 12 percent – of its workforce at its subsidiary Moët Hennessy. The plan was announced in a message to employees in the wake of slump in Cognac and Champagne sales to China and the US.

Richard Smart: The Man Who Changed Wine

e mark the passing of an Australian who changed the way modern wine tastes.

David Allen MW- 06-Jul-2025 

Few people had as much impact on how modern wine tastes as Australian viticulturist Richard Smart, who died this week.

This week the world of viticulture lost one of its leading lights when Dr Richard Smart passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at the age of 80.

Few men can have made such a profound contribution to contemporary wine quality than this mild-mannered Australian viticultural consultant.

Smart argued that “proper canopy management can be the most important determinant of yield and quality carried out in both the vineyard and the winery”. His advocacy of the ideas of canopy management taught the world to properly and reliably ripen grapes, helping to define the style of modern wines.

Beginning his studies in the early 1960s Smart graduated from Sydney University with a degree in agricultural science in 1966. He went on to study sunlight use by vineyards in order to gain an MSc from Sydney’s Macquarie University. His PhD was earned at Cornell University studying under Professor Nelson Shaulis, in New York State. Smart himself described Shaulis as the father of canopy management.

By the mid 1970s Dr Smart was teaching viticulture at Roseworthy College in South Australia, where he went on to become Head of the Faculty of Viticulture. There he educated a generation of fledgling winemakers and viticulturists while at the same time conducting research into trellis design and canopy management. Concurrently, he was also operating a family-owned vineyard at Williamstown, in the Barossa Valley.

Having become increasingly interested in cool climate viticulture, Smart moved to New Zealand with his family in 1982, taking up the position of New Zealand’s national viticultural scientist. In this role Smart’s research played an important part in the development of New Zealand’s budding wine industry.

His research looked at improving vine health, combating viruses and other diseases and encouraging significant importation of new vine-stock – all of which was methodically recorded in a National Grapevine Register. The research examined the practical implementation of the principals of canopy management he had learned at Cornell, through the introduction of new horizontally and vertically divided leaf canopies to encourage the production of balanced fruit in the vineyard. An example of this was Smart-Dyson trellising, a system he helped develop.

At this stage Smart founded the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology, an organization that he chaired. The Second International Conference on Cool Climate Viticulture and Oenology, which he organized for 400 international delegates in Auckland in 1988, can be seen as instrumental in promoting New Zealand’s revolutionary new style of Sauvignon Blanc to the world.

In collaboration with Mike Robinson, Smart wrote Sunlight Into Wine. Published in 1991, The book received widespread recognition, and has been used as a standard viticulture text book by generations of winemakers ever since.

In 1990, Richard Smart returned to his native Australia to established his own viticultural consultancy, Smart Viticulture. The company rapidly grew, and Smart, who was already influential throughout Australia, America, New Zealand and the UK, went on to consult to wine producers all around the world. His firm consulted to clients in 30 countries, spreading his influence throughout Europe, South America, South Africa as well as many developing wine industries such as those of Georgia, Serbia, Thailand, Mexico, Myanmar and areas of China.

In recent years, in semi-retirement, Richard Smart has been an energetic advocate for the wine industry to actively participate in climate change mitigation efforts. He encouraged this both through reducing emissions and by adapting practices to the changing climate to create innovative solutions to give the industry a sustainable future.

He highlighted the wine industry’s potential to reduce its carbon footprint through measures like adopting alternative packaging to reduce CO2 emissions resulting from transport, and using vineyard waste for energy production in place of fossil fuels. He has proposed solutions including the capture and reuse of fermentation CO2.

Smart addressed the impact of climate change on wine regions, suggesting that some areas might become too hot for certain grape varieties, necessitating adjustments in vineyard management and variety selection. He consulted to vineyards to help them adapt by taking measures such as finding suitable new grape varieties for their regions.

Richard Smart had a long battle with oral and neck cancer, experiencing multiple occurrences of oral cancers, including tongue cancer and throat/larynx cancer He underwent both surgical treatments and radiation therapy. His cancers affected his ability to eat and speak. He openly discussed his illnesses, particularly the links between consumption of alcohol and cancer, working to increase awareness among industry professionals of the dangers associated with alcohol consumption.

He was clearly a brilliant, highly motivated and hard-working man but perhaps his greatest skill was his ease of communication. I was lucky enough to hear him speak a couple of times during my Master of Wine studies and he was an entertaining and engaging lecturer with the ability to explain complex problems in straightforward and digestible terms. He conveyed his enthusiasm, listened to and respected the points of views of others, yet always maintained authority.

It is notable that many of the academic papers that bear his name were co-authored, with him often giving great credit to his collaborators. As such, Richard Smart was the ideal choice for Jancis Robinson to recruit as viticulture editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, a role through which his scholarship will have touched many producers, consumers and members of the wine trade, yet few of us will have been aware of his contributions

Richard Smart had an outstanding career in wine education, research and consultancy that spanned nearly 60 years. While he rejected the idea that he was the father of canopy management – preferring the honor go to his friend and mentor Nelson Shaulis – he was undeniably its greatest advocate and evangelist.

Smart certainly did not go unrecognised through his career – I will not attempt to catalog the long list of honors, honorary qualifications, awards and positions he achieved, as there are so many I could only fail to include a substantial number of important accolades. In an age, however, where winemakers are lauded for the awards their wines earn and the points they gain, it seems unfair that the enormous influence of this one, highly driven viticulturist on the quality of the wines we drink today is not better known to consumers around the world.

We remember Richard Smart with respect and gratitude and offer his family our condolences for their sad loss.

The Making of a Biodynamic Winemaking Icon

At La Coulée de Serrant, Nicolas Joly has become renowned for his pedagogical approach to biodynamics and his contrarian Chenin Blancs—but that wasn’t always the case

Nicolas Joly has been a pioneer of biodynamic viticulture since the 1980s. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Joly.

Nicolas Joly’s wines aren’t for everyone. They’re complex, intense, and confusing, particularly for those in pursuit of textbook Chenin Blanc. 

Joly is aware of this. He’d go further to argue that the wines of La Coulée de Serrant, his estate and monopole appellation in Savennières, aren’t his wines at all. He’s not a winemaker—he’s a farmer, a philosopher. “I love to drink Joly’s wines and I love to drink his words,” says Sancerre winemaker Cyril de Benoist of Domaine du Nozay. 

Joly’s Chenin Blancs are some of the world’s most stylistically and philosophically disruptive wines. Robert Parker dubbed him the godfather of Savennières. Writer Hugh Johnson called Joly the “high priest” of biodynamics and his white wines, the “most characterful in the world.”

But Joly’s acclaim wasn’t easily won. His contrarian commitment to biodynamics weirded out the wine world, and brought forth accusations of ruining his family’s land. So how exactly did Joly go from villain to icon?

Call It Fate

In the 12th century, Cistercian monks planted vines on a steep slope overlooking the Loire. King Louis XI named La Coulée de Serrant “a drop of gold.” Empress Josephine was equally enamoured.

Joly’s parents purchased the land in 1962. But Joly was drawn abroad. He moved to the United States in 1970 to pursue an MBA at Columbia University and later, a career at J.P. Morgan. 

“I’m a great believer in what we call fate,” says Joly. “Why did I do my MBA? I don’t know. Why work for JP Morgan? We were well paid. Why quit? I have no idea. I just knew.” Seven years later, he returned home.

He worked the land with his mother, falling in step with agricultural norms. Vines were blasted with chemical fertilizer, but Joly noticed the land looked saggy and sad—the soil dry, the local flora and fauna wilted.

A book from Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner changed his trajectory. By 1984, his entire 30-acre estate had transitioned to biodynamic cultivation. 

The results were immeasurable. The biological balance of the vines was restored and the vines bloomed—they felt alive, as did the wines. 

Energy is a big deal to Joly. In tastings, he tends to gloss over the technical notes. Instead he talks about vitality, life, and terroir—how every organism in a vineyard must thrive to make a fine wine. 

In the ’80s, this was a nonsensical notion. “The critics were coming from everywhere,” says Joly. “For eight years, my parents received phone calls saying I was destroying the vineyards. But they trusted me.”

Nicolas Joly’s family purchased La Coulée de Serrant in 1962. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Joly.

The slander continued until a visitor stopped in: Lalou Bize-Leroy, then the co-director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. “She got it,” says Joly. “And she hadn’t come to learn—she had come because of the hearsay. But she got it.” (Bize-Leroy, controversially, went on to push the domaine towards biodynamic viticulture.)

Other industry luminaries followed. “Anne-Claude LeFlaive, Aubert de Villaine,” recalls Joly. “Suddenly, we weren’t alone.”

Understanding the Wines

Joly is dogmatic about the belief that high-quality viticulture can only come from living soil, and that terroir is the product of interactions between all of the ecosystems in a vineyard. In essence: happy vines, happy wines. Cows, goats, horses, donkeys, sheep, and bees roam the vineyards, offering their own additions to the vineyards, be it pollination or manure. All of this was documented in Joly’s 1999 book Wine from Sky to Earth—now a bible of biodynamics. 

He finds the relationship between the earth and cosmos essential (a nod to Steiner’s anthroposophy movement) and considers the position of the moon, planets, and constellations when making viticultural decisions. Subscribers to the natural wine movement may think this old hat. But when Joly was proposing these theories, they were outlandish—wine should be made in the cellar, not the vineyard.

“I didn’t come to love wine through having collectors in my family,” says Kristin Olszewski, the owner of Nomadica. “I came to love wine by first falling in love with the principles of permaculture—nature’s wisdom woven into design. Wine was my next evolution after farming vegetables, and Nicolas Joly was my entry point. His belief that wines should express a sense of place, a mark of time, resonated deeply with me.”

Navigating Controversy

While Joly has a fervent following, his wines (now made by his daughter Virginie) are still divisive. He picks late—long after his neighbors have finished and when botrytis has started enveloping the grapes. “Customers don’t want more than 12% ABV, and I’m sorry, but I don’t care,” he says. “I will pick when my vines are ready.”

Publicist Christine Deussen worked for Joly’s American importer when the wines first came stateside in the early ’90s. “The wines just seemed so out there back then.” 

“We started with them in 2005, when biodynamics and natural wine weren’t a thing yet on restaurant lists,” says Mark Cuff, who has been importing Joly’s wines into Canada via his agency, The Living Vine, for 20 years. “They were dominated by large brands from Italy, California, and Australia selling big, juicy reds and heavily oaked whites.”

As a 25-year-old sommelier, Cuff hated those big wines. He looked to bring in organic wineries and emailed Joly for advice. He answered the following day. Three months later, samples arrived. It was slow to sell.

“Selling biodynamic wines in the first 10 years was extremely challenging—almost impossible,” says Cuff. “Few people understood or cared about this new artisanal movement.”

But Americans were into it. “They’re more open-minded than Europeans,” Joly says. “We’re always a bit stuck on ourselves—it’s easier to sell wine in America.” 

Still, his wines aren’t a universal pour. Joly is staunchly against what he calls “cosmetic” wines—the viticulture equivalent of heavy fillers and Botox.  A group of Bordeaux winemakers—serious, technical, exacting winemakers—stopped by last year. While they shared the same country and profession, Joly found nothing was translating philosophically. “It was like speaking another language.”

Virginie Joly (left) now serves as the winemaker for La Coulée de Serrant. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Joly.

Joly’s wines are acquired, but they’re also inquisitive and cerebral—as much a thinking exercise as a drinking one. Vintages will vary wildly in taste depending on what nature dictates. They aren’t always approachable, and that’s part of the magic.

“My favorite part of working with the Joly wines is pouring a first taste for a new buyer; it never gets old seeing someone process the experience,” says Chris Raftery, the Empire regional manager at Wilson Daniels, Joly’s importer. “Tasting Joly often yields responses that run from bewilderment to awe to silent reflection, from mind completely blown to a new understanding of what white wine can be.”

“One doesn’t simply open a bottle of Coulée de Serrant and slug it back—no,” says Olsewski. “These wines are unique, raw, wild. Sometimes they can be enjoyed immediately, and sometimes they are more fickle, needing a decant or even 24 hours to open up.”

The Church of Joly

Famille Joly wines offer an unrelenting mystique. His fans are disciples, indoctrinated into the world of alternative agriculture. “Nicolas Joly was the formative love of my life,” says Olszewski. “Nicolas Joly has never taken winemaking lightly; there is a profound sense of duty and care for the land his vines inhabit. This seriousness is felt in all of his wines. I’ve always said I taste rainbows and pure beaming light in Joly’s wines. They reward patience and engagement, just as the pursuit of biodynamics does.”

“I deeply admire the wines and their impact on my career as a sommelier,” says Jayton Paul, a Michelin Guide Sommelier award winner and the wine director of Published on Main in Vancouver. “My first encounter with Coulée de Serrant was a revelation—it highlighted Chenin Blanc’s potential and the transformative power of regenerative, sustainable, and biodynamic winemaking.”

Does Joly know his impact? Ask him what the highlight of his career is, he has one word: cows. “I love what happened to our land when we bought a Nantes cow.”

If you’d have to press, his other highlight would be sitting in the vineyards, looking at the constellations twinkle. “Phew goes to my heart,” he says. “You’re surrounded by a level of life well above your value.”

AI Made Its Way to Vineyards. Here’s How the Technology Is Helping Make Your Wine

MorningAGClips, March 10, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When artificial intelligence-backed tractors became available to vineyards, Tom Gamble wanted to be an early adopter. He knew there would be a learning curve, but Gamble decided the technology was worth figuring out.

The third-generation farmer bought one autonomous tractor. He plans on deploying its self-driving feature this spring and is currently using the tractor’s AI sensor to map his Napa Valley vineyard. As it learns each row, the tractor will know where to go once it is used autonomously. The AI within the machine will then process the data it collects and help Gamble make better-informed decisions about his crops — what he calls “precision farming.”

“It’s not going to completely replace the human element of putting your boot into the vineyard, and that’s one of my favorite things to do,” he said. “But it’s going to be able to allow you to work more smartly, more intelligently and in the end, make better decisions under less fatigue.”

Gamble said he anticipates using the tech as much as possible because of “economic, air quality and regulatory imperatives.” Autonomous tractors, he said, could help lower his fuel use and cut back on pollution.

As AI continues to grow, experts say that the wine industry is proof that businesses can integrate the technology efficiently to supplement labor without displacing a workforce. New agricultural tech like AI can help farmers to cut back on waste, and to run more efficient and sustainable vineyards by monitoring water use and helping determine when and where to use products like fertilizers or pest control. AI-backed tractors and irrigation systems, farmer say, can minimize water use by analyzing soil or vines, while also helping farmers to manage acres of vineyards by providing more accurate data on the health of a crop or what a season’s yield will be.

Other facets of the wine industry have also started adopting the tech, from using generative AI to create custom wine labels to turning to ChatGPT to develop, label and price an entire bottle.

“I don’t see anybody losing their job, because I think that a tractor operator’s skills are going to increase and as a result, and maybe they’re overseeing a small fleet of these machines that are out there, and they’ll be compensated as a result of their increased skill level,” he said.

Farmers, Gamble said, are always evolving. There were fears when the tractor replaced horses and mules pulling plows, but that technology “proved itself” just like AI farming tech will, he said, adding that adopting any new tech always takes time.

Companies like John Deere have started using the AI that wine farmers are beginning to adopt. The agricultural giant uses “Smart Apply” technology on tractors, for example, helping growers apply material for crop retention by using sensors and algorithms to sense foliage on grape canopies, said Sean Sundberg, business integration manager at John Deere.

The tractors that use that tech then only spray “where there are grapes or leaves or whatnot so that it doesn’t spray material unnecessarily,” he said. Last year, the company announced a project with Sonoma County Winegrowers to use tech to help wine grape growers maximize their yield.

Tyler Klick, partner at Redwood Empire Vineyard Management, said his company has started automating irrigation valves at the vineyards it helps manage. The valves send an alert in the event of a leak and will automatically shut off if they notice an “excessive” water flow rate.

“That valve is actually starting to learn typical water use,” Klick said. “It’ll learn how much water is used before the production starts to fall off.”

Klick said each valve costs roughly $600, plus $150 per acre each year to subscribe to the service.

“Our job, viticulture, is to adjust our operations to the climatic conditions we’re dealt,” Klick said. “I can see AI helping us with finite conditions.”

Angelo A. Camillo, a professor of wine business at Sonoma State University, said that despite excitement over AI in the wine industry, some smaller vineyards are more skeptical about their ability to use the technology. Small, family-owned operations, which Camillo said account for about 80% of the wine business in America, are slowly disappearing — many don’t have the money to invest in AI, he said. A robotic arm that helps put together pallets of wine, for example, can cost as much as $150,000, he said.

“For small wineries, there’s a question mark, which is the investment. Then there’s the education. Who’s going to work with all of these AI applications? Where is the training?” he said.

There are also potential challenges with scalability, Camillo added. Drones, for example, could be useful for smaller vineyards that could use AI to target specific crops that have a bug problem, he said — it would be much harder to operate 100 drones in a 1,000 acre vineyard while also employing the IT workers who understand the tech.

“I don’t think a person can manage 40 drones as a swarm of drones,” he said. “So there’s a constraint for the operators to adopt certain things.”

However, AI is particularly good at tracking a crop’s health – including how the plant itself is doing and whether it’s growing enough leaves – while also monitoring grapes to aid in yield projections, said Mason Earles, an assistant professor who leads the Plant AI and Biophysics Lab at UC Davis.

Diseases or viruses can sneak up and destroy entire vineyards, Earles said, calling it an “elephant in the room” across the wine industry. The process of replanting a vineyard and getting it to produce well takes at least five years, he said. AI can help growers determine which virus is affecting their plants, he said, and whether they should rip out some crops immediately to avoid losing their entire vineyard.

Earles, who is also cofounder of the AI-powered farm management platform Scout, said his company uses AI to process thousands of images in hours and extract data quickly — something that would be difficult by hand in large vineyards that span hundreds of acres. Scout’s AI platform then counts and measures the number of grape clusters as early as when a plant is beginning to flower in order to forecast what a yield will be.

The sooner vintners know how much yield to expect, the better they can “dial in” their wine making process, he added.

“Predicting what yields you’re going to have at the end of the season, no one is that good at it right now,” he said. “But it’s really important because it determines how much labor contract you’re going to need and the supplies you’ll need for making wine.”

Earles doesn’t think the budding use of AI in vineyards is “freaking farmers out.” Rather, he anticipates that AI will be used more frequently to help with difficult field labor and to discern problems in vineyards that farmers need help with.

“They’ve seen people trying to sell them tech for decades. It’s hard to farm; it’s unpredictable compared to most other jobs,” he said. “The walking and counting, I think people would have said a long time ago, ‘I would happily let a machine take over.’”

–By SARAH PARVINI
AP Technology Writer

YouTube Is the Way to Attract Younger Audiences to Wine

Meiningers – 4 May 2024

Brendan Carter can’t understand why so many wine professionals are ignoring YouTube. He tells Felicity Carter how he built his own Wine for the People channel.

Brendan Carter thinks the word ‘ethereal’ is one of the dumbest words in wine.

While studying, he “grabbed every single tasting note,” from a year’s worth of a top wine publication, “wrote them out one by one, put them in an Excel spreadsheet and fed it into Chat-GPT to find out what the most common terms were.”

The top three terms were ‘ethereal’, ‘juicy’ and ‘expressive’, none of which Carter thinks are helpful. Worse, he thinks wine writing is irrelevant to a younger audience. Not because of the vocabulary —  be warned: this next bit will horrify wine writers everywhere — but because younger people are sceptical about the written word.

The wine industry is ignoring video, which is where the next generation is congregating.

“People can hide behind words,” he says, while individual personalities who can be seen and heard are seen as inherently more trustworthy.

Carter is speaking from his purple-lit YouTube studio in the Adelaide Hills. He’s baffled that the wine industry is ignoring video, which is where the next generation is congregating.

From Champagne to the Adelaide Hills

When Carter was a law student, he got a holiday job giving English-speaking tours at Veuve Clicquot in Champagne. Winemaker Francois Chirumberro suggested he study winemaking.

“It was news to me that you could do a whole university degree in booze,” says Carter.

He enrolled at Adelaide University, right when the strong Australian dollar was causing wine exports to plummet.

At the same time, the world of wine had never been more exciting, as a new generation of hands-off winemakers was rising: Anton von Klopper, James Erskine, Tom Shobbrook, and the late Sam Hughes.

“They were allowed to take us for a class for one of our organoleptic sessions,” says Carter, so “we all started to “questioned everything we were taught.”

In a country renowned for international varieties like Shiraz, Carter began to consider the grapes of the Mediterranean. While they are grown across Australia, they are particularly found in the Riverland — the warm, irrigated inland region — because cheap land and abundant water makes it the ideal place to trial new varieties. In Carter’s opinion, these grapes are the future for Australia.

Bootstrapping a winery

While still a student, Carter and wife Laura founded a low-intervention wine brand, Unico Zelo. “We had nothing to lose and didn’t own much, so we started the winery.”

He did it by opening his laptop and trawling auction sites while sitting in lectures, which he’d record on his phone and listen to later. “My first pump came from a detergent manufacturing facility that had used it for six years and I got it for A$30.”

Later, Carter and Laura headed for the Adelaide Hills where they could afford a house, near the Onkaparinga Woollen Mill. Owned by the Adelaide HIlls Council, the Mill included a unit that was supposed to incubate small businesses, but “ten years later, had not incubated a single one. So I let them know that we were a business worth incubating.”

Unico Zelo got a year rent free in an old building with a dirt floor. At the end of the year, the Carters wrote an open letter to the industry asking for a place to put their equipment and do vintage. A grower offered them a lease-to-buy deal. “We built a house of panels using a fork-lift, a wrench and a circular saw,” says Carter. “We lived in that for five years, while we developed the winery piece by piece.”

They also opened a distillery. Carter says his business is based on permaculture principles, where every plant in an ecosystem supports the other plants. The idea was that if the wine didn’t sell, it could be distilled and sold as a different product.

Another idea was to create a grape growers’ cooperative. Carter says that when grape growers are paid directly for grapes, the value of the grapes is locked in and “someone has to apply margin. What if there was no transaction?”

Instead, the Carters decided to recognise the value of the grapes by giving 50% of the wine’s profit back to the growers. “We’re selling wine at A$20 (€12.30) a bottle, which is not that expensive, and then delivering 50% of the money back to the growers.”

The growers ended up with “about 400% more” money than normal. “We didn’t realise that growers get paid horrendously in this country.”

Today, growers in the crisis-hit Riverland where the Carters source much of their fruit can earn as little as A$120 a tonne, well below the cost of production. “That was when we realised there was a systemic problem here. And then the distillery started to grow as well.” 

Success with gin and wine

Applewood Distillery’s gins are distilled with native Australian ingredients. “I could give you a list of about 80 different ones we work with,” says Carter. “The predominant one would be the desert lime, Citrus glauca. It’s probably the most ancient lime we know of. It originates in the deserts and grows on less than two inches of rain a year.”

The Carters started making gin in 2012, “before it was cool. We were number five in Australia making gin and now there’s like 600 of us.” Today, they sell their products in the US, the UK and Japan, among other export markets.

As for their wines, Unico Zelo is flying off the shelf, an acknowledged success from a region in the doldrums. The labels are simple and colourful and don’t reveal the varieties in the bottle. Instead, the focus is on the names —  ‘Esoterica’, a skin contact white, and ‘Fresh A.F.’, a blend of Nero d’Avola and Zibibbo — so drinkers can’t bring preconceptions to the glass.

The end of wine writing?

Carter says he’s not a very good communicator, which became a problem as the business grew, particularly when trying to get things designed. “I did all the things you’re meant to do — a Pinterest board, all those things,” but somehow people just couldn’t understand what he wanted.

Carter bought a camera and watched thousands of hours of photography tutorials on YouTube. “Then I went and took a photo and said, ‘I want it to look like that’ and they’re like, ‘why didn’t you say so?’” He got what he wanted.

“The penny dropped and I was like, ‘oh man, when people say a picture’s worth a thousand words, I didn’t realise it meant that it saved me from having to say a thousand words’. It lifted a weight off my shoulders.”

One obsession led to another, and Unico Zelo started producing videos during Covid, doing daily vlogs and “stuff like that, to show behind the scenes.” Two hundred “practice runs” later, and the Wine For the Peoplechannel launched on YouTube. It’s a mix of wine reviews, interviews, and wine education, all delivered with an irreverent edge.

If the wine trade doesn’t bother speaking to the $5 a bottle drinkers, how can we expect them to become $10 a bottle drinkers? 

At first, hardly anybody watched. This is typical for YouTube, where creators report slogging along, unappreciated for a long time. If they persevere—assuming they’re any good— there comes a moment when the views begin to grow exponentially. “It’s taken maybe three or four years of grinding before it started to take off,” says Carter. Now, the channel is growing at 400%.

Carter believes YouTube is the ideal medium to attract drinkers who currently drink at the very commercial end. He says if the wine trade doesn’t bother speaking to the $5 a bottle drinkers, “how can we expect them to become $10 a bottle drinkers? This is folly — you can’t just ignore them.”

But he also thinks the wine trade is courting disaster by ignoring YouTube and relying on wine writing and Instagram influencers, because YouTube is where the coveted younger demographics congregate.

In a rare interview, Matthew Horkey tells us what skills you need to be successful, how he engages with the platform and why wine is the next big thing on YouTube.

The kids are on YouTube

According to SproutSocial, “Users aged between 25 and 34 account for 21.3% of YouTube’s user base, making them the largest age group to use the platform. The second largest age group is between ages 35 and 44.” YouTube also appeals to those between 18 and 24, “with this group making up 15.5% of the platform’s user base”.

YouTube has 2.49 billion monthly users worldwide—100 million of whom are paying subscribers. And, in the US at least, the younger the viewers, the more they prefer video to books; nearly 60% of those in the GenZ cohort prefer learning from YouTube over books.

But too few wine people are on YouTube, so the chances of younger people stumbling over interesting wine content is low.

Carter adds that YouTube engages people much more than Instagram, which he calls “low involvement — they’re only looking for aesthetics. They’ll change topics really quickly.”

But too few wine people are on YouTube, with a few notable exceptions like Konstantin Baum MW, so the chances of younger people stumbling over interesting wine content is low. Worse, when wineries or regions do make an effort, they tend to produce glossy promotional videos, instead of the fun and authentic content that engages viewers. 

The best time to get started on YouTube is now

Darren Oemke, the Chair of Riverland Wine, says the Carters have found a way to engage with both trade and consumers, and do it well, and says it’s obvious they’ve built a big following, judging by how many distributors will take the opportunity at trade shows and tastings to introduce customers.

“He and Laura have a focus on building their customer base through YouTube, engagement with trade, restaurant collabs and a laser-like focus on their specific approach to winemaking style,” says Oemke.

The Australian wine industry has also taken note, and showered them with awards for their ability to engage consumers.

But creating excellent YouTube content is not, it has to be said, either easy or cheap.

Carter says “Laura hates it. She’s like ‘Brendan, we have to stop spending money like this’ — we added up all the money we’ve spent and it’s maybe A$300,000 (€182,000). It’s a lot of money.”

The money went into the fully-equipped studio he’s sitting in and wages, plus buying wines to review. Carter says they don’t accept samples of wines, because they want the right to criticise a wine, and then say, “hey, we spent our own money on it”.

He says he hopes more wine people will jump in and open a channel on YouTube. And he adds it doesn’t have to be expensive, because you can start making videos with your phone.

‘Times are changing, and so are the productivity demands,” says Carter. “We’ve found an answer — it’s called video.”

And not using the word ethereal.

 How to Make Your Winery More Social
Beverage Trade Network

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter continue to unveil new features that can be used by wineries, breweries and distilleries to bring awareness of their wines, brews and spirits to a national audience

Social media has completely transformed the way wineries market themselves, with more and more wineries experimenting with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube as ways to reach a larger wine-drinking audience. But it’s no longer enough just to be on Facebook or Instagram, you now have to find ways to update your social media presence to leverage all the new features that are available.

Facebook Live

For example, one popular new trend on social media is live streaming events via features like Facebook Live. Hosting a Facebook Livestream is a fantastic way to introduce wine drinkers to the winemakers behind the brand as well as to give a behind-the-scenes look at how a wine goes from the vineyard to your table.

Live streaming has started to take off at food & wine festivals, where it’s a great way to engage both participants and people from across the country that would have liked to attend. This summer’s Aspen Food & Wine Festival, for example, featured celebrity chefs as part of a “live from the kitchen” feature. And some wineries, such as City Winery, have hosted Facebook live streams of performers and entertainers who have appeared as part of special events.

For now, media publications that cover the wine industry, such as Food & Wine, are leading the way when it comes to using Facebook to live stream an event. The advantage a major media publication has over a winery is the built-in audience. After all, anyone can hold up a mobile phone, click the Facebook Live button, and start a live broadcast – but if only a handful of people tune in, and the production quality is not very high, is it really worth the effort? In contrast, major media brands can attract tens of thousands of potential viewers.

Instagram Stories

Another important social media trend is Instagram Stories, which launched in August 2016. This feature gives brands the opportunity to combine a number of photos or video clips into a “story” that can be viewed online by followers of the brand. The important point here is that any Story disappears after a 24-hour period, essentially giving the brand a “clean slate” the next day. And the Stories won’t appear within the regular Instagram feed – they are only visible if you are a follower and click on the profile of the Instagram user, where the profile will be outlined with a colourful circle if a new Story exists.

These Instagram Stories can be used to show unique behind-the-scenes photos of the winery, to showcase special new promotions, or to answer questions from fans in a fun, casual way. One trending hashtag on social media is #WineWednesday, so you could very easily plan to launch a new Instagram Story every Wednesday and include the #WineWednesday hashtag when you promote it to fans.

A few wineries have already experimented with this features. Jordan Winery in Sonoma, California posts new Stories, usually related to food, wine and travel. Travel Oregon, as part of an effort to promote Oregon wineries, has posted Stories from the state’s wineries. And, within the spirits industry, Ketel One was an early adopter, using Stories to describe new drink recipes.

Twitter Moments

These are events curated and compiled by Twitter to show users everything that is current and trending in the globe at any given time. It is like one’s social news feed. One can select from categories like News, Sports, Entertainment, Fun and more.

So far Twitter has primarily been about the 140 character text. Creating a Twitter Moment offers the user a chance to highlight an image as well. A Twitter Moment is displayed with a focus on the image more than the text as it is also displayed in a larger size.

A recent Twitter Moment reported that red wine and hot chocolate is a hot trend. Winemakers could tap into this by showing recipes of how to create this using their wine. Many companies also use cultural days, events and hashtags around these to associate their brand with them. Being part of a popular hashtag lets your tweets come up in search results. But, be sure to be relevant as you create these.

The important point to keep in mind is that all of these new social media initiatives cannot exist in separate silos. It’s best to integrate them, and one easy way to do that is via email. For example, you can promote an upcoming Facebook Live event in the email newsletter that you send out every month (e.g. “Join us next month as we interview two winemakers at our winery”). Or, you can include a link to your Instagram page, with a call-to-action to check out your new Stories (e.g. “Check out our latest Instagram Story for more on our new Pinot Noir”)

As a winery, you need to be where your customers are. And as more people embrace Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it means finding ways to connect with them in new and unique ways.  In 2017, that means an embrace of Facebook Live, Instagram Stories and Twitter Moments.

An Honest Conversation About Making Money in Wine

April 25, 2024

Areni Global’s latest roundtable tackled the important topic of financial sustainability in the wine industry. It attracted fine wine producers from top regions in France, the USA and South Africa, who took the opportunity to have a frank discussion.

To look around the Zoom faces was to wonder why some of the participants had agreed to speak openly about money. All of them represented some of the most famous names in wine—meaning it’s hard to imagine that profitability was an issue for them.

But, it turned out, it truly is, and the full and frank discussion of money turned into one of the most intensive and engaged discussions that Areni Global has been privileged to host in recent months.

The roundtable was conducted under the Chatham House rule, which means everything that was said is unattributed. The only person whose quotes are attributed was the guest of honour, Mike Ratcliffe. He’s not just the co-founder and managing partner of the US/South African venture Vilafonté, but also the founder of Wine Business Advisors, an international advisory service that has helped more than 50 wine clients with everything from tourism and hospitality to sales and mergers and acquisitions.

First and most important

Ratcliffe began by saying that “lack of financial sustainability usually runs parallel with lack of strategy and, more often than not, runs parallel with a lack of focus.”

People who know what they want to achieve have a greater likelihood of achieving it, he said. “You all know the wine industry. Everybody tries to do everything. Everybody wants to be in the tourism business.” And everybody wants to make red wine, white wine, sparkling wine and sweet wine. But “there seems to be a common denominator of financial success amongst the people who have identified at least some form of specialty.”

Unfortunately, too many wine businesses take a scattergun approach. “Something I see way too often is where everybody’s just doing everything. There seems to be an unwritten rule that if you have a winery, you have to have a restaurant, and you need to be selling an entire range and three tiers, That works well for big companies,” he went on, “but in general it’s just fragmentation and it takes you in the opposite direction. You lose economies of scale and your sustainability becomes affected.”

“Something I see way too often is where everybody’s just doing everything. There seems to be an unwritten rule that if you have a winery, you have to have a restaurant, and you need to be selling an entire range and three tiers.”

Mike Ratcliffe, Vilafonté

For most businesses, it’s easier to market a few products than many. It’s also easier to sell a known brand. “Brands are powerful. Brands tend to get bigger and have economies of scale,” he said. Instead, said Ratcliffe, he often saw producers adding new wines to their portfolio, without having a strategy to sell that wine.

Some of the Bordelais on the call agreed that they found it easier to produce just one or two wines per winery. “That’s one of our strengths,” said one producer. “Every winery builds its own individual identity, independent from the appellation.”

But one French producer had a different point of view, saying “a small range of products is not a terribly good idea for us because we have a top wine which is very expensive—if we didn’t have other wines that were less expensive, we would have trouble selling the top wine.”

And, of course, diversification of income is a good strategy provided all the parts of the business are properly resourced and managed. “Almost half of our turnover is the restaurant, guest rooms and wine bar,” said the producer. “The New World is far ahead of us in that respect.”

The Old World is ahead in other ways

According to one US producer, “the realities are pretty harsh at the moment. Most wineries in the US are under 5,000 cases—most producers are tiny. That’s a different reality set. Profitability is almost unheard of.”

In the past, many US founders were able to simply write cheques to cover the winery’s needs, because their real income was drawn from some other enterprise; their wine business was more of a passion project. The issue now is the younger people taking over those businesses need the winery to work as a business in its own right. “They’re not thinking about writing cheques to other people to do the work.”

He said that it’s normal in France or Italy for the entire family to be working in the winery. “That’s really rare here on the West coast of America. But the young people are kind of getting it—they’re looking to Europe for those types of models. That’s a really strong trend I’m seeing.”

Desirability is a form of power

Sometimes the goal of a winery owner isn’t to build profitability but reputation. “For us, image is more important than profitability in the short term,” said a French producer. “The question of what money we need to make is secondary—who do we want to be? Which markets do we want to be seen in?”

The producer was clear that money was still an important goal, but in the service of building the prestige and position of the brand. One reason it’s important to build brands is because having a strong and desirable name offers some protection against being undercut on price. Unfortunately, as many ruefully agreed, very few producers are able to dictate the price of their wine.

“For us, image is more important than profitability in the short term. The question of what money we need to make is secondary—who do we want to be? Which markets do we want to be seen in?”

Areni Member

“The wine world is full of very powerful gatekeepers,” said one producer. “There are 90 producers right behind us who would be very willing to sell their wares if we were to have an issue with price.”

In other words, most producers don’t have a say in the price at which their wines will be sold. In this case, the winery needs to know exactly where its wine sits in the marketplace, so they can work out how much it will be sold for and calculate all the costs properly.

Keep on top of the numbers

What is striking about financially sustainable businesses, said Ratcliffe, is that they tend to have a solid understanding of numbers. “Profitability is an outcome of financial sustainability.”

Ratcliffe added that it’s important to keep people inside the company informed of the financial position. “If you have a meeting with your management team, show them everything.” And if one department is overspending, other members of the team should be able to say something about it.

Everyone on the call agreed with Ratcliffe that it’s extremely important to stay on top of the numbers—and to react immediately when people don’t pay their bills.

“Don’t work with people who are not able to pay,” said a producer, who said he insists on being paid upfront when working with new customers. After that, he allows payment terms of up to 60 days. If the customer’s payment is ever late, he stops working with them immediately, though he said he had made special arrangements during Covid.

Ratcliffe agreed that the first signal of business distress is generally delayed payments, and to take unpaid bills seriously.

He added that good customers should always be rewarded. “When somebody does something good for you, always give them a gift. A bottle of wine. There will come a time when you need them,” especially when times are tough. “There have been times when I’ve had to call one of my suppliers and say, ‘can you give me three or four extra days to pay?’ and because there’s a good working relationship, they’re always fine.”

Relationships are everything

“Try and do business with people that you like,” said Ratcliffe. “The other one is try to do business in places that you like.”

As one of the Bordelais said, it’s important to build value throughout the chain, so that distributors and merchants can make a good margin on the wine, which helps build loyalty. “Everyone’s been talking about sharing value up the chain, but there’s an important concept of sharing value down the chain,” said another producer. “Paying the people that work in your winery more than just a living wage.”

“We’re a tiny winery, but we export to 30 countries. It means that during difficult times, we have activity.”

– Areni Member

And while diversification is important, don’t overlook the power of selling more products to fewer people. “If you’ve got 50 customers, the chances are that if you developed 10 of them, they could probably take your entire production,” said one producer.

One French producer had a different view. “We’re a tiny winery, but we export to 30 countries,” he said. “It means that during difficult times, we have activity,” in at least some markets. An increasing challenge for his winery, he said, was being able to produce enough wine because drought and water shortages were having a major impact.

Costs are increasing

Participants agreed that the costs of managing climate change are rising rapidly.

As one producer said, the wine industry is unique in the world of consumer goods, because as an agricultural product, it is subject to the whims of nature. “That requires a certain level of agility and foresight to weather the storm of production variability year after year,” she said. “Profitability does not look like profitability in a lot of industries.” Instead, financial sustainability isn’t just about making a profit, but also about being able to cover costs over an unpredictable agricultural cycle.

Unfortunately, wineries can expect even more costs in future.

‘I think visibility is careening towards the industry like a giant freight liner,” said one of the French producers, referring to upcoming ingredients labelling, as well as ever more demands for transparency around farming methods.

There was a lot more said over the session, from the frustration of dealing with financial institutions that have no understanding of the wine sector, to wry observations about billionaire owners who care more about the winery architecture than the balance sheet. The opportunity to talk about money, finance and profitability among peers was, it seemed, something that participants relished.

Pauline Vicard, CEO of Areni Global, ended the session by saying, “we don’t speak enough about money in the wine world, but there’s a lot to be gained in sharing.” 

After all, as everyone agreed, if a winery doesn’t work financially, it has no future.

Portugal’s cork forests are major carbon sinks – but they face threats from climate change

By Davide Raffaele Lobina

Published on 28/04/2024 – 07:00

For each kilogram of cork produced, the trees can capture 73 kg of CO2, according to Portugal’s leading cork company.

Portugal is the world’s leading producer of cork. In 2023, cork exports achieved a record value of €1.2 billion, 75 percent of which came from cork stoppers, according to APCOR, the Portuguese association of cork producers.

A worker in one of Amorim cork factories in Santa Maria de Lamas checks the quality of natural cork stoppers.Davide Raffaele Lobina

The Amorim Group, Portugal’s leading cork company, claims that around one out of three wine bottles worldwide is sealed with a cork stopper made in Portugal. 

About 20 years ago, significant concerns emerged that cork might lose market share to synthetic alternatives, which were less expensive and carried no risk of spoiling the wine with ‘cork taint’.

However, the industry has succeeded in removing those substances that could harm the wine, including the molecule trichloroanisole (TCA), responsible for the cork taint. Nowadays, cork has a competitive edge over materials like plastic due to its sustainable properties.

The only forestry industry where the trees are not cut

Piles of cork bark in one of Amorim’s cork factories in Santa Maria de Lamas.Davide Raffaele Lobina

“A cork stopper captures almost 400g of CO2. A single cork can offset all the emissions from producing a glass bottle,” says António Rios de Amorim, CEO of Amorim. He anticipates an expansion in wine production, which underscores the need to plant more cork oaks – a move that would also aid Portugal’s efforts to combat climate change.

Cork is harvested by removing the bark from cork oaks every nine years, after which it slowly regenerates. “We are the only forestry industry where the trees are not cut. Cork oaks, which can live for 150 to 200 years, are a carbon sink. For each kilogram of cork produced, the tree captures 73 kg of CO2,” explains António.

Cork oaks are a carbon sink. For each kilogram of cork produced, the tree captures 73 kg of CO2

António Rios Amorim, CEO of Amorim

Portugal has over 720,000 hectares of cork oaks, which represent a third of the existing forests of this species native to the Mediterranean region. Spain has a high share of forests, while the rest are found in Northern African countries, France and Italy. 

Cork oak trees in Coruche, Portugal’s cork capital.Davide Raffaele Lobina

Cork forests are threatened by global warming

However, rising temperatures threaten the survival of these trees.

Careful forest management mitigates the risk of wildfires. “These agroforestry systems are managed in such a way that, with small shrubs and patchy areas where herbs and shrubs grow alongside livestock, the amount of vegetation that can burn is significantly reduced,” explains Conceição de Silva, secretary general of the Union of Mediterranean Forests, which represents forest landowners in Portugal.

But extreme heat brings other dangers too.

“Plagues and diseases benefit from climate change. They are fighting back very strongly, and there are currently no solutions to diminish these threats. In some areas, trees are dying.”

Some landowners have implemented irrigation systems in new plantations to cope with prolonged summer droughts. “Due to climate change, you might plant 400 trees per hectare, and after the first summer, if you don’t irrigate, you might only have 100 trees or fewer left,” she concludes.

Here’s What Goes Into Making Jay-Z’s $1,800 Champagne

We put Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs Assemblage No. 4 under the microsope.

By Mike Desimone And Jeff Jenssen 23/04/2024

In our quest to locate the most exclusive and exciting wines for our readers, we usually ask the question, “How many bottles of this were made?” Often, we get a general response based on an annual average, although many Champagne houses simply respond, “We do not wish to communicate our quantities.” As far as we’re concerned, that’s pretty much like pleading the Fifth on the witness stand; yes, you’re not incriminating yourself, but anyone paying attention knows you’re probably guilty of something. In the case of some Champagne houses, that something is making a whole lot of bottles—millions of them—while creating an illusion of rarity.

We received the exact opposite reply regarding Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs Assemblage No. 4. Yasmin Allen, the company’s president and CEO, told us only 7,328 bottles would be released of this Pinot Noir offering. It’s good to know that with a sticker price of around $1,800, it’s highly limited, but it still makes one wonder what’s so exceptional about it.

Known by its nickname, Ace of Spades, for its distinctive and decorative metallic packaging, Armand de Brignac is owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy and Jay-Z and is produced by Champagne Cattier. Each bottle of Assemblage No. 4 is numbered; a small plate on the back reads “Assemblage Four, [X,XXX]/7,328, Disgorged: 20 April, 2023.” Prior to disgorgement, it spent seven years in the bottle on lees after primary fermentation mostly in stainless steel with a small amount in concrete. That’s the longest of the house’s Champagnes spent on the lees, but Allen says the winemaking team tasted along the way and would have disgorged earlier than planned if they’d felt the time was right.

Chef de cave, Alexandre Cattier, says the wine is sourced from some of the best Premier and Grand Cru Pinot Noir–producing villages in the Champagne region, including Chigny-les-Roses, Verzenay, Rilly-la-Montagne, Verzy, Ludes, Mailly-Champagne, and Ville-sur-Arce in the Aube département. This is considered a multi-vintage expression, using wine from a consecutive trio of vintages—2013, 2014, and 2015—to create an “intense and rich” blend. Seventy percent of the offering is from 2015 (hailed as one of the finest vintages in recent memory), with 15 percent each from the other two years.

This precisely crafted Champagne uses only the tête de cuvée juice, a highly selective extraction process. As Allen points out, “the winemakers solely take the first and freshest portion of the gentle cuvée grape press,” which assures that the finished wine will be the highest quality.  Armand de Brignac used grapes from various sites and three different vintages so the final product would reflect the house signature style. This is the fourth release in a series that began with Assemblage No. 1. “Testing different levels of intensity of aromas with the balance of red and dark fruits has been a guiding principle between the Blanc de Noirs that followed,” Allen explains.

The CEO recommends allowing the Assemblage No. 4 to linger in your glass for a while, telling us, “Your palette will go on a journey, evolving from one incredible aroma to the next as the wine warms in your glass where it will open up to an extraordinary length.” We found it to have a gorgeous bouquet of raspberry and Mission fig with hints of river rock; as it opened, notes of toasted almond and just-baked brioche became noticeable. With striking acidity and a vein of minerality, it has luscious nectarine, passion fruit, candied orange peel, and red plum flavors with touches of beeswax and a whiff of baking spices on the enduring finish. We enjoyed our bottle with a roast chicken rubbed with butter and herbes de Provence and savored the final, extremely rare sip with a bit of Stilton. Unfortunately, the pairing possibilities are not infinite with this release; there are only 7,327 more ways to enjoy yours.

Bordeaux and Provence hit back on ‘swimming pool rosé’ reports

26 April 2024 By James Evison -Drinks Business

National newspapers have claimed there is a “battle” between two French regions about “swimming pool rosé” but is it all a storm in a teacup (or wine glass)? db spoke to representatives from both regions to find out.

According to newspaper reports this week, including articles in The Times and The Guardian, there is a debate between Bordeaux and Provence about the standard and style of rosé wine.

Citing a so-called “rosé aristocracy”, The Times’ leading wine and food critics claimed discord, claiming “purists” in Provence are “attacking” Bordeaux for turning to making lighter rosé, following a drop in traditional red wine sales by 36% in the past decade in the latter region.

Claiming there is a “fad” for pale pink wines, and a so-called “swimming pool plonk” rosé, often associated with celebrity endorsements, The Times argued that Provence and Bordeaux have now become battlegrounds over the style and quality of the wine.

Democratise

But representatives from the regions have quashed the debate, with a representative for Provence, saying there is “no need” to pit so-called pool rosés against terroir rosés.

It pushed back on the idea of the region being an “elite”, and instead said it was helping to democratise the category.

Brice Eymard, MD of the CIVP (Conseil Interprofessional des Vins de Provence)  said it had been making rosé wines for decades, and admitted its “unique heritage and unparalleled expertise” were deep-rooted in “everything our region does” and enabled it “to create a style of rosé that has become a benchmark”.

But he also said that “Provence rosé is perfect for casual moments such drinks with friends by the pool or alongside simple meals” and also “our gastronomic wines, which have spent time in wooden barrels, stand up perfectly alongside more complex dishes and formal occasions”.

He crucially added: “There’s no need to pit pool rosés against terroir rosés.

“Provence’s winegrowers have the know-how to produce a wide variety of rosés that will appeal to wine lovers and younger consumers alike. We’re proud to be playing our part in helping to democratise wine, rather than sticking to an elitist approach.”

He did concede also that “certain technical elements” could be emulated in other regions, but the history and “specificity of the terroirs cannot”, which made Vins de Provence rosé wines “unique and inimitable”.

Diversity

Caroline Vigneron, marketing manager at the CIVB (Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin de Bordeaux) told db that making rosé in Bordeaux wasn’t a new phenomenon, but was also keen to point out the category was about diversity.

She said that Bordeaux’s rosé wines now represent a “considerable portion” of all the wine produced in Bordeaux: 12.8 million bottles last year.

“Our rosé wines are light, lively, fruity and elegant, offering characteristics that are unique to our region,” she said.

“Making rosé in Bordeaux isn’t new – in fact, we have been making it here since the 18th century,” she continued, “but a new generation of winemakers with new ideas, energy and enthusiasm, have developed it considerably over the last 10 years and our wines are increasingly being recognised on the international stage for their quality.”

Vigneron was also keen to stress that another Bordeaux-specific wine was making a comeback, which contradicts the idea that they were producing just light pink wines; the dark-pink Clairet.

She also highlighted the diversity of rosé, as opposed to those seeking to make an argument there is a conflict about style.

“Clairet, a regional gem once considered to be the precursor of Bordeaux wine, is making a comeback too. Intense pink in colour, with light tannins and the freshness of a rosé, it’s made to be enjoyed chilled; it’s a great example of how diverse the rosé category has become.”

Lightness of being

Interestingly, db editor-in-chief Patrick Schmitt MW and fellow judges noted last year at the Global Rosé Masters that there wasn’t a direct relationship between colour and flavour, as the articles appear to suggest.

The judges discovered that it was notable that some of the rosé wines had almost no fruit flavours at all, especially among the higher price bands.

Discussing a set of “pretty bony and etiolated liquids” in the £30-£50 category, one of the judges, Jonathan Pedley MW, said: “It is curious to reflect on just how much the consumer is prepared to pay for austerity.”

Schmitt added: “In other words, some of the priciest rosés were the lightest, and it seems as though in certain cases, the more you pay, the less you get – both in terms of colour and flavour.”

1 December 2023

Researchers have taught an algorithm to ‘taste’

Incorporating human tastes into artificial intelligence makes it easier for wine buyers thirsting for the right wine. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Pioneer Centre for AI have shown that AI can accurately predict individual wine preferences. The researchers expect that nourishing machines with human sensory experiences will continue to grow.

For non-connoisseurs, picking out a bottle of wine can be challenging when scanning an array of unfamiliar labels on the shop shelf. What does it taste like? What was the last one I bought that tasted so good?

Here, wine apps like Vivino, Hello Vino, Wine Searcher and a host of others can help. Apps like these let wine buyers scan bottle labels and get information about a particular wine and read the reviews of others. These apps build upon artificially intelligent algorithms.

Now, scientists from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), the University of Copenhagen and Caltech have shown that you can add a new parameter to the algorithms that makes it easier to find a precise match for your own taste buds: Namely, people’s impressions of flavour.

“We have demonstrated that, by feeding an algorithm with data consisting of people’s flavour impressions, the algorithm can make more accurate predictions of what kind of wine we individually prefer,” says Thoranna Bender, a graduate student at DTU who conducted the study under the auspices of the Pioneer Centre for AI at the University of Copenhagen.

More accurate predictions of people’s favourite wines

The researchers held wine tastings during which 256 participants were asked to arrange shot-sized cups of different wines on a piece of A3 paper based upon which wines they thought tasted most similarly. The greater the distance between the cups, the greater the difference in their flavour. The method is widely used in consumer tests. The researchers then digitized the points on the sheets of paper by photographing them.

The data collected from the wine tastings was then combined with hundreds of thousands of wine labels and user reviews provided to the researchers by Vivino, a global wine app and marketplace. Next, the researchers developed an algorithm based on the enormous data set.

“The dimension of flavour that we created in the model provides us with information about which wines are similar in taste and which are not. So, for example, I can stand with my favourite bottle of wine and say: I would like to know which wine is most similar to it in taste – or both in taste and price,” says Thoranna Bender. 

The flavour impressions were collected through a series of wine-tasting events. The wines were anonymized and each wine was labelled with a color and a number. Each participant was given a combination of wines to taste.  

Professor and co-author Serge Belongie from the Department of Computer Science, who heads the Pioneer Centre for AI at the University of Copenhagen, adds:

“We can see that when the algorithm combines the data from wine labels and reviews with the data from the wine tastings, it makes more accurate predictions of people’s wine preferences than when it only uses the traditional types of data in the form of images and text. So, teaching machines to use human sensory experiences results in better algorithms that benefit the user.”

Can also be used for beer and coffee

According to Serge Belongie, there is a growing trend in machine learning of using so-called multimodal data, which usually consists of a combination of images, text and sound. Using taste or other sensory inputs as data sources is entirely new. And it has great potential – e.g., in the food sector. Belongie states: 

“Understanding taste is a key aspect of food science and essential for achieving healthy, sustainable food production. But the use of AI in this context remains very much in its infancy. This project shows the power of using human-based inputs in artificial intelligence, and I predict that the results will spur more research at the intersection of food science and AI.”

Thoranna Bender points out that the researchers’ method can easily be transferred to other types of food and drink as well:

“We’ve chosen wine as a case, but the same method can just as well be applied to beer and coffee. For example, the approach can be used to recommend products and perhaps even food recipes to people. And if we can better understand the taste similarities in food, we can also use it in the healthcare sector to put together meals that meet with the tastes and nutritional needs of patients. It might even be used to develop foods tailored to different taste profiles.”

The researchers have published their data on an open server and can be used for free.

“We hope that someone out there will want to build upon our data. I’ve already fielded requests from people who have additional data that they would like to include in our dataset. I think that’s really cool,” concludes Thoranna Bender.

Steady wine sales not enough to relieve oversupply pressure

Wine Titles Media -November 21st, 2023

Total sales of Australian wine were 11 per cent above production in 2022–23 after the lowest wine production in 15 years but were not enough to substantially reduce pressure on the historically high national wine inventory levels, according to Wine Australia’s Wine Production, Sales and Inventory Report 2023 released today.

Australian wine production was 964 million litres, the lowest since 2006–07 and the first time since then that it has fallen below 1 billion litres. Meanwhile sales of Australian wine remained steady at 1.07 billion litres, with a small increase in domestic sales countering a similar-sized decline in exports.

Wine Australia Manager, Market Insights Peter Bailey said it was pleasing that sales had held steady this year despite difficult global conditions affecting all markets.

“This is the first time in five years that total sales volume has remained steady on a year-on-year basis,” said Bailey. “Sales of Australian wine have been decreasing in our domestic market and in export markets over the past five years, due to declining wine consumption combined with increased cost-of-living pressures and the effects of the significant duties on Australian wine to China.”

As a result of sales exceeding production, the national wine inventory decreased by 4% to an estimated 2.2 billion litres on 30 June 2023. The reduction was driven by red wine stocks, which were down by 10% compared with the previous year.

Bailey noted that while this shift had reduced some pressure, inventory levels remain very high, particularly for red wine.

“This is a move in the right direction for the sector as it responds to the challenge of rebalancing supply and demand,” Bailey said. “However, it is only a small reduction after the lowest vintage in 20 years, and stocks of red wine remain at historically high levels.”

The national stock-to-sales ratio – a measure of how many years’ worth of sales is held in inventory – was 2.57 for reds, still 45% above the 10-year average despite decreasing by 7% due to the decrease in inventory.

“The long-term average stock-to-sales ratio for red wine is around 1.8, which equates to having just under two years’ worth of sales in stock. The current level is over two-and-a-half years’ worth, which is very high in historical terms,” Bailey explained. “If the ratio is too high, it puts pressure on winery inventories and reduces demand and price for wine grapes.”

The situation for whites is better than for reds, with the stock-to-sales ratio at 1.49 – much closer to its long-term average of 1.35. It decreased by 2% in 2022–23 due to the slight increase in sales (see Figure 1). 

Figure 1: Stock-to-sales ratio (SSR) for Australian wine by colour over time

Source: Wine Australia Production, Sales and Inventory surveys and ABS

 While supply and demand for white varieties appear to be more balanced, Bailey noted that sales of white wine in 2022–23 were 463 million litres, which is considerably lower than the 10-year average production of 579 million litres.

“Rebalancing supply and demand remains a real challenge for the sector,” Bailey said. “Our situation reflects the global environment, as world wine production has exceeded consumption every year for at least the past 10 years. This prolonged oversupply, which is the equivalent each year of more than twice Australia’s production, has put increasing pressure on all wine-producing countries.”

The Wine Production, Sales and Inventory Report 2023 can be downloaded here. 

Updated price indicators for winegrape growers

The new Grape Price Indicators dashboard, developed by Wine Australia with funding from the Australian Government through its Improving Market Transparency in Perishable Agricultural Goods Industries program and launched last month, has been updated today with the latest figures from the Production, Sales and Inventory Report 2023, as well as global figures from the OIV World Wine Production Outlook November 2023 and the Ciatti Global Market Report for November.

The Grape Price Indicators dashboard can be found on the Wine Australia website. 

Scott Henry: A Second Chance for Troublesome Vines

By Kathleen Willcox- November 20, 2023

Wine styles and production methods fall in and out of fashion: just consider the ubiquity, disappearance and newly resurrected practices of aging wine in amphora or using wild yeast, and the “new” phenomenon of rosé. Farming practices, too, are cyclical. See: cover crops, field blends and high-density plantings. 

But there’s one trellising system that’s managed to evade ever trending, while still being widely beloved by admirers in specific circumstances. The Scott Henry system is seen by advocates as a secret weapon that delivers more — and vastly superior — fruit. Read on for insight into the training system that is at once beloved and disregarded.   

History & How it Works 

Pioneering winemaker Calvin Scott Henry III, better known as Scott, invented the trellis system in 1982. (Henry recently passed away, on Oct. 26, 2023, at the age of 86.) An engineer by training, he noticed that the vineyards he planted in Oregon’s rain-soaked Umpqua Valley were producing rot-prone grapes. He opted to add a second wire below the solo wire he had to split the cluster, essentially doubling the amount of fruit he could grow, and exposing it to more air and sunshine in the process. 

Henry was not the only person to create a divided canopy system — others include the Smart Dyson and Geneva Double Curtain. 

“The Scott Henry trellis system lets you grow twice as many shoots per linear foot when compared to VSP [the Vertical Shoot Positioning trellis system],” says Raptor Ridge Winery’s winemaker and founder Scott Shull, who produces around 9,000 cases of wine annually and uses Scott Henry for about half of the fruit he grows. “The system has gotten a bad reputation for producing low quality fruit because it’s been used just to boost production in sites that don’t really need it.”

Evan Bellinger, director of vineyard operations at Results Partners, which manages more than 200 vineyards in Oregon, deploys Scott Henry frequently — but he agrees it’s not appropriate for every site. 

“It doesn’t work across the board,” Bellinger says. “It’s a useful tool in the right scenario and can create more balanced fruit — and more of it. If a site has high vigor, and the vines need to dilute its energy into more growing points, more leaves, more fruit, then Scott Henry helps create balance.”

Addresses Vigor, Brings Fruit Back Into Balance 

The key, advocates agree, is the right scenario and site. 

“In 2004, I noticed that my old vine Pinot Noir wasn’t setting properly,” says Bill Holloran, co-founder of Holloran Vineyard Wines in Dundee, Ore.  “Old vines can sometimes get too much nitrogen in certain sites. We started experimenting with Scott Henry in 2014, despite the bad reputation it had, and we found it quickly brought our fruit back into balance.”

Of the three sites he farms — two in Dundee Hills and one in Eola-Amity Hills — two of the Dundee sites are partially converted to the Scott Henry system. About 40 percent of his Dundee acreage, he estimates, is devoted to Scott Henry. 

Shull says Scott Henry has been a game-changer for the Grüner Veltliner he farms in Newberg, Ore. 

“Grüner is so vigorous,” he explains. “The Scott Henry system helps absorb some of that energy and vigor. Grüner can set at our site to about 16 tons per acre, which is insane. We thin it out and drop fruit, and even with that we get six tons per acre in the end. We’re left with much better fruit.”

He also deploys Scott Henry for the fruit he uses with his method champenoise sparkling wine program. “We’ve found it delivers great acidity, and allows us to harvest our Pinot Noir at a lower alcohol with subtle flavor development,” Shull explains. 

Dave Weimann, vineyard manager at Sheldrake Point Winery in New York’s Finger Lakes region, also uses Scott Henry when vines get “too big for their britches.”

He says, “I became aware of the Scott Henry system in 1992 when I was working at Cornell [University]. But we didn’t start using it until 2002, after the vines we planted in 1997 became way too vigorous. We’ve found it works really well with Riesling, allowing us to find that sweet spot.”

About 14 of the 57 acres he has planted are on VSP, with the rest on Scott Henry. 

Others, like Michael Moore, a Willamette Valley grower who uses Scott Henry at his vineyards Griffin Creek and Crater View, says it’s ideal for sites with “high water tables, too much vigor and too much green growth.”

Better Fruit, Lower Disease Pressure 

Deploying Scott Henry in vigorous sites, especially ones that get a lot of rain or are planted above at a watery site, creates more acid-driven fruit with complex profiles, proponents say. 

“We grow Pinot Noir for rosé at Corral Creek Vineyard using a Scott Henry trellising system,” says Chehalem Winery’s winemaker, Katie Santora. “We find that it helps us create acid-driven rosés with light and elegant aromatics. We always think of it as our lightest and prettiest wine.”

Moore says that Scott Henry is woefully misunderstood. 

“It’s been misused for high-production wines,” Moore says. “But in the right circumstances, it produces much better fruit than you’d get using another trellis system. We have found that it lets us delay ripening, especially in warmer sites, which gives us better fruit in the end.”

At Lakewood Vineyards in the Finger Lakes, vineyard manager David Stamp says that, in addition to creating better fruit and “carrying a larger crop load, Scott Henry has less disease pressure due to a naturally thinner canopy. 

Weimann concurs that there’s “a lot less rot with Scott Henry.”

Bottom Line

Installing Scott Henry on a classic VSP trellis system costs next to nothing. “You just have to add a wire to your existing VSP system,” Weimann says. “But there is additional labor. You have to flick the shoots on the lower wire down right as they bloom, because they’re going to want to grow up. And if you don’t get them ahead of time, or you do it too soon, you create a lot of hand labor for yourself because you’re going to have to go in and force them down.”

That labor costs more, but he and others say the additional labor is more than balanced out by the superior, more bountiful fruit. 

Scott Henry, clearly, is not a trellis system that will be effective in every situation. But in high-vigor, water-logged sites or in cases where growers aren’t finding the acid and delicate aromas they want, Scott Henry is worth considering, especially for certain varieties.

“If someone is growing Pinot Gris, they need the added yield of Scott Henry to cover their farming costs,” Bellinger says. “Chardonnay on Scott Henry can be both bountiful and high quality. Pinot Noir can do well on Scott Henry, particularly for sparkling wine or rosé, but there is a greater risk of overcropping Pinot Noir for still wine.”

At Warrior’s Rest vineyard, Bellinger says they thinned the upper canopy aggressively, but thinned the lower canopy lightly. 

“We then picked the bottom canopy of the Pinot Noir for sparkling wine and rosé,” Bellinger explains. “So that fruit came off early, and for the rest of the season we had two canopies ripening just one fruit zone of crop. It was a neat way to get the benefits of the higher yields without compromising quality.”

And as far as Shull is concerned, we may see a lot more of it.

“Climate change is here,” Shull says. “With consistently warmer vintages, we’re considering converting more of our Pinot Noir to Scott Henry to slow down ripening and produce physiologically balanced fruit without putting on too much sugar. We’ll see.”

 “No more excuses” women in wine demand action on gender equality

• November 21st, 2023

“The lack of action from our wine industry leaders in combatting the significant gender inequality in our industry is both woeful and inexcusable,” said Australian Women in Wine (AWIW) founder and chair Jane Thomson OAM at the inaugural Australian Women in Wine 2023 National Symposium on Friday.

A sell-out crowd of 140 women in wine gathered at the event in Sydney, where they proposed a list of the urgent steps needed to combat gender injustices in the Australian wine industry.

Delegates discussed, put forward and then voted on the top actions they want to see taken immediately. The results are, in order of priority:

1. An industry-wide strategy with accountability measures in place
2. Funding for AWIW and/or a full-time diversity, equality and inclusion position
3. Mentoring program available in every wine region 

“We have now pulled together a list of demands directly from some of Australian wine’s brightest talent. The women in our Australian wine community have spoken – there will be no more excuses,” said Thomson.

In the Australian wine industry, the needle has been “painfully slow” to move on gender equality, says Thomson. In fact, on some key measures the industry has actually gone backwards in recent years. According to the ATO’s latest published figures, between 2013 – 2014 and 2020 – 2021 the gender pay gap for Australian winemakers increased by 100%, going from $7000 to $14,000 per year. For viticulturists and growers it’s even worse, with the gap at $18,500.

Men and women graduate from oenology degrees in almost equal numbers here in Australia, however the latest ABS statistics show that female participation in winemaking overall is still stuck at 17%.

On Friday, an impressive line-up of thought leaders from both within and outside the wine industry offered their perspectives at the symposium, focusing on the theme ‘Leadership & Ambition: Exploring the challenges women face pursuing a career in the Australian wine industry and how to advance them to positions of power for the betterment of the industry.’

They included performer and journalist Wendy Harmer, who shared some of her strategies for success from her male-dominated career; Amanda Gome, who hosted an interactive workshop to help women counter everyday sexism; Nicky Grandorge who shared how Women in Wine NZ is closing the gender gap over the ditch; Professor Chris Wallace from the University of Canberra who spoke about women, leadership and ambition; Corrina Davison, managing director for American Express Australia and New Zealand, who offered her advice on how to advocate for and be an ally for women in achieving equal access and opportunity; and Kate Goodman, Katherine Brown and Gabrielle Castelluccio who shared their experiences from the wine industry coalface.

A who’s who of Australian wine from around the country were in attendance, including key decision makers and CEOs, growers, suppliers, viticulturists, winemakers, sales and marketing professionals, cellar door staff and beyond. They included representatives from Treasury Wine Estates, Accolade, Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Endeavour Group, Brown Family Wine Group, Brokenwood Wines, Pinnacle Drinks, Langton’s and more.

Attendees were buoyed by the event, with Helen Strachan, Legal, Public Affairs, Communications and S&R Director at Pernod Ricard Winemakers, sharing her appreciation for the event on LinkedIn.

“I have left with inspiration, connection, optimism & gratitude for all who are challenging the status quo & wanting to make the future of Australian wine bright,” said Strachan.

Alcohol duty hike results in Treasury ‘losing cash’

Drinks Business- 20 November 2023 By James Evison

The negative impact on sales from alcohol duty hikes means the Treasury is losing out on tax revenue, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA). 

The WSTA has therefore said that the Chancellor should freeze alcohol duty at the Autumn Statement this Wednesday, following data revealing the worrying decline in sales.

It made the comments as the UK government is expected to announce a rise in duty — the second in only four months — at this week’s Autumn Statement, which would raise the overall increase in wine duty to 30% since the summer. The rise is likely to be line with the retail price index, which currently stands at 8.9%.

But according to the WTSA’s unpublished figures, off-trade sales showed a drop of around 20% in spirits in the last 28 days, and a double digit drop for wine in the same period.

The large downturn follows the largest hike in duty rates in almost 50 years in August, with UK firms “extremely concerned”, according to the WSTA, that another increase in the Autumn Statement would threaten the survival of some businesses.

Despite an overall drop in inflation reported last week, wine and spirits have seen nearly a triple digit increase in the last three months – remaining in double digits – as the alcohol sector diverges from the rest of the economy in terms of inflation levels.

Counterproductive

Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said that duty rises are “counterproductive”, as they reduce sales, and result in less revenue to the Treasury.

Beale said consumers were “still in the grip of a cost of living crisis”, and “cannot afford to keep stretching their budgets”.

He said: “We are asking the Chancellor to stop, think and freeze alcohol duty. In August the Treasury introduced the largest alcohol tax hike for almost 50 years adding over 10% duty increase for spirits and over 20% increase for 4 out of every 5 wines of all wine sold in the UK. A further rise is damaging to British businesses, will pile on more misery for consumers resulting in less cash for the Exchequer.”

Assault

The current situation, including failed deposit return schemes, was described as an “assault on the industry for no net-gain” by the Wine Society.

Steve Finlan, chief executive of the Wine Society, said: “Jeremy Hunt said this was a budget for growth, instead his actions will cause misery for consumers, wine retailers and wine producers and threaten the survival of many businesses at a time when consumer confidence is slowly returning.

“One tax rise in a year is alarming, two is unacceptable. We ask the Government to reconsider.”

Talking about the inflationary pressures as a producer, Simon Doyle, general manager of Concha y Toro Europe, said that duty was “disproportionately” impacting shoppers at the lower end of the market.

Doyle said: Wine has been an affordable luxury for many – but those couple of glasses at the end of a working week will become even more expensive. 61% of a bottle of wine bought at £6 already goes to the government in tax.”

Not contributing

The managing director of Brighton Gin, Kathy Caton, agreed with Doyle and the WSTA, stating that the August duke hike has had “a very clear and damaging effect on sales.”

Caton said: “There have already been some very high-profile closures of distilleries within our sector and anecdotally I know of many others who are considering shutting operations – if distilleries go bust, they won’t be contributing anything at all through taxes and duty.”

New research suggests that it might be quercetin, not sulfites or biogenic amines, that are responsible for the headaches some people experience after drinking red wine

November 20, 2023 jamiegoode

Some people suffer from headaches after drinking even a small amount of red wine. Usually for these people, the response is unique to red wine, and isn’t caused by other drinks. No one yet knows exactly what causes this.

But in a study published today in Scientific Reports by a group at the University of California, Davis, there’s evidence that the culprit might be quercetin, a flavanol found naturally in red wines. This may be interfering with the proper metabolism of alcohol, leading to symptoms including headache. [Interestingly, this research was Crowdfunded.]

Quercetin is found in a range of fruits and vegetables, including grapes, and acts as an antioxidant, so it can be beneficial. It’s only in the presence of alcohol that it can be problematic.

‘When it gets in your bloodstream, your body converts it to a different form called quercetin glucuronide,’ says Andrew Waterhouse, one of the authors of this study. ‘In that form, it blocks the metabolism of alcohol.’

Alcohol is broken down to acetaldehyde, which is toxic and inflammatory. It’s then further broken down by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, which is the enzyme that quercetin glucuronide can inhibit. The continued presence of acetaldehyde in the bloodstream can cause flushing reactions, headaches and nausea. A proportion of east Asian people (around 40%) have a version of this enzyme that doesn’t work well, and this allows acetaldehyde to build up in their system.

‘Quercetin is produced by the grapes in response to sunlight,’ says Waterhouse. ‘If you grow grapes with the clusters exposed, such as they do in the Napa Valley for their cabernets, you get much higher levels of quercetin. In some cases, it can be four to five times higher.’ Levels of quercetin can also differ depending on winemaking techniques.

I asked Waterhouse: people have blamed sulfites, and then biogenic amines for adverse reactions to wine – could it be that quercetin is to blame and that we shouldn’t be too worried about these two?

‘Mark Daeschel at Oregon State told me that the levels of biogenic amines are just too low,’ he responded. ‘As for sulfites, they may be indirectly related, but that is yet another research project. But sulfites themselves are not a culprit, or consumers of colorful dried fruit would be reporting headaches.’ 

So if quercetin is a problem, do you think people affected should avoid all red wines? Or is there a way to find safer ones? ‘I am hopeful that in the future there will be a way to alert consumers to high levels. But the first step is to check our hypothesis with a human study.’  This is planned, and it will be interesting to see the results.